


Indebted

by 23OscarWilde



Category: Indebted, Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler, Manga - Fandom
Genre: Crimes & Criminals, Dominance, Dysfunctional Family, M/M, Organized Crime, S&M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-09
Updated: 2015-08-12
Packaged: 2018-03-22 01:34:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 44,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3709942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/23OscarWilde/pseuds/23OscarWilde
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An English major student gets tangled in a web of crime and dominance when through saving his younger brother he becomes indebted to a mysterious entrepreneur.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

  * For [To all whom dare to venture into my world.](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=To+all+whom+dare+to+venture+into+my+world.).



> This is a story that I personally enjoy immensely, but ever since the Fifty Shades of Grey hype I kind of tossed aside because of the odd and accidental similarities. Now I must add, and I can only hope you trust my word and perhaps some of my other readers who have been with me since I started posting on FF.net, that I started to write this long before I even knew something about shades and sandstone and clumsy girls. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this as much as I do writing it. 
> 
> O.

His cautious footsteps echoed through the empty corridor. Fluorescent lights flickered overhead and he had to squint to properly see what was ahead of him. His breathing became more erratic with every step he took, leading him closer to the heavy oak door that had private written over it in neon lights.

Skulking through the shadows Ciel felt like an unexperienced common thief and the weapon that he clumsily held in his sweaty palms only confirmed this theory. The gun did no justice to the upstanding person he was growing into and that thought alone would be scary enough to turn around had it not been why he knew he was here, which made him sure about riding it out till the bitter end. The penetrating smell of the metal made him nauseous. He wiped at his cheek, leaving a deep red stain on his slate gray suit jacket. The realization that he had just fought off and shot a man sank in and made him even more queasy.

He tried to shake it off by reminding himself it had been necessary. It had been in self defense The nasty thought that he might have killed him crept up on him like a ghoul and it made his hands tremble. He took a deep breath and continued down the path, telling himself he acted righteously in precarious situation.

The door was so close that if he reached out his hand he could touch the knob. A sweat drop trickled down his temple and he swallowed audibly. This was not a time to be anxious. He clenched the handle of his Sigma. The large gun felt heavy and was starting to feel even more unnatural in his sweaty palms.

The grunts and snarls of the low voice on the other end of the door grew louder with every step. It made his skin crawl with uncomfortable anticipation. What should he expect? And in what state would he find his brother?

He pressed his back against the wall and took a moment to just stare at the stripe of light that came through the creak in the door. He had come to the point where there was no turning back, something that had not even been an option in his mind from the start. Tossing his slate bangs, he leaped forward like a pouncing cat and cautiously tried to peek through the crack.

In the middle of the room was a chair. It was guarded by three plum haired individuals who had respectfully turned their backs on the spectacle. In the chair sat a sinister looking dark haired male. In front of him, on hands and knees, was a young man who's head was bobbing up and down at crotch level. The large hand of the seated male felt its way through the soft blonde locks and his deep voice mused gruff demands and encouragements.

Ciel's chest tightened. His body felt heavy, as if turned to stone. He had to turn away and leaning on his knees, he slowly breathed in and out, fighting down an automatic gag reflex. The image burned into his head and awoke a type of helplessness and anger in him. He had only once felt like this before in his life and back then it had also given him power to act.

He straightened himself, turned and peeked through the crack again. In his head he calculated his chances and none looked very prosperous. Without making any noise, he pushed the door open enough for him to slip through. He raised his gun, aimed and headed towards the middle of the room, his careful steps only faint whispers on the marble.

The sloshing and sucking noises nauseated him to the core and he slowly breath in and out through his nose to draw as little attention as possible and to force the bile that was rising in his throat back down.

He closed in, the trembling barrel nearing the temple of the dark haired male. He did not seem to take notice of a sixth presence and Ciel could not believe his own dumb luck. His eyes fluttered to the blonde individual and his felt his chest tighten and his lungs spasmed stubbornly, demanding a more deep intake of air he did not wish to take in fear of being caught in the middle of his act. His guard weakened without him noticing and it was in this precise moment that pale blue eyes rolled his way and perceived his sudden presence. The blonde made a noise that alarmed all. Ciel did not hesitate and while the three guards turned and pointed there automatic weapons at him, he pressed the barrel of his own against the forehead on the blonde's assailer.

"I would've expected you earlier, Ciel Phantomhive." The voice was calm and collected, as if there was no gun pressed tightly against his head.

"I would've been here sooner if you had been man enough to face me upfront, Claude Faustus," Ciel hissed venomously, pretending he was in charge of the entire situation. In reality, he knew he stood a snowball's chance in hell.

A low chuckle rose from Claude's throat and his eyelids opened. His eyes had the color of liquid gold and they observed him coolly over the rimless glasses. There was no trace of fear, his face a mask of tranquility.

"I am a wanted man," he explained simply. "I need to protect myself."

"You're a coward who cannot fight his own battles." Ciel pressed the firearm harder against the smooth skin. "Let my brother go."

Claude clacked his tongue and pushed a lock of the blonde hair out of the pale blue eyes. They rolled up to him, tears glistening in the corners. Tears of shame that his older brother had to see him in such a position, kneeling down at someone's feet like an obeying dog.

"He seemed to be rather enjoying himself before you interrupted our business meeting," Claude mused. He placed a hand on the back of the teenager's head and pushed down hard until the swollen lips touched the base of his cock. He looked up at Ciel and made a short hand gesture. "See?"

"I said," the barrel of Ciel's gun pressing even tighter against the throbbing temple. "Let Alois go."

"I believe you are aware of the ways of our organizations," Claude began, keeping the blonde tightly pinned down on his erection still. "Being the eldest son of Vincent Phantomhive, I am sure you know that there are certain ways to pay off debts. Your dear brother chose this one, eagerly," he added with a smug expression on his face.

Ciel didn't move a muscle, knowing that if he showed his weakness, he would soon be in the same situation Alois was in. He did not wish to roll over that easily and was quietly ashamed his younger brother had. Admitting that though would mean he had to admit that there was really nothing left of the Vincent Phantomhive legacy, something he knew but could not share with Claude Faustus, a powerful mafia boss who was infamous about his sadistic manner of negotiation. Ciel had to play his cards carefully not to betray both his little knowledge of the world his father had belonged to and the shame he felt seeing Alois pinned on another man's erection.

"Alois would never agree to anything like this unless he was not given another option," Ciel's eyes darted to his brother who was struggling for breath. He had to be quick on his feet. "I won't be extorted that easily."

Claude's dragged his index finger over his lips and took in Ciel's frame. Even if it wasn't showing, he knew Ciel was trembling and it pushed him to greater limits. "His debt will not be set that easily, Phantomhive."

"Anything can be settled with money," Ciel replied. "Name your price and I will see it done."

"Name your price and I will it done." Claude languidly repeated the words and chewed on them. "I believe you are talking about the rumored trust funds," he grinned ominously. "That's what got your brother in this kind of trouble. Your parents have been dead for a decade and knowing your brother spend his money elsewhere, I can only assume yours has been used to pay off other creditors," little lights of satanic amusement illuminated the golden eyes. "Some things are priceless, Ciel. Getting the oldest son of the notorious Phantomhive legacy to his knees is one of them."

"I will never kneel for the likes of you," Ciel snapped viciously. "I doubt if I can even stoop that low."

"Really? Not even to settle his debt?" Claude caressed Alois's cheek. Tears trickled down the pale flesh and the pale blue eyes rolled to his older brother, and even under the pressure of the hand, he tried to shake his head, non-verbally telling his Ciel not to give in.

"You see," Claude reached down and covered Alois's face with his hand. The blonde's eyes grew and he desperately tried to wiggle away. "How long can he hold his breath? The human body can only take so much oxygen deprivation, especially when it's so fragile and under dire circumstances like these. The shame he must be feeling, the anticipation to be freed and the anxiety knowing it might not even happen at all." Claude clacked his tongue. "All enough to cause his fatigue body to give in more rapidly than under any other circumstances."

Ciel gritted his teeth at the diabolic pleasure Claude took in torturing his younger brother. Finally facing the truth that it was hopeless to stubbornly discuss a deal, he lowered the gun and dropped it at his feet. Dipping his head to his chin, Ciel acknowledged his defeat. "Do with me as you see fit but Alois go."

After a clear snap of the fingers, two of the plum haired guards stepped around the chair. Each grabbed one of Ciel's arms, pinning them on his back and forcing him to his knees. Ciel gave in without a fight. Claude sighed content, raised his hand off Alois's face and roughly pushed him away.

Alois coughed loudly and drew erratic, almost desperate breaths of air. "Please," he wheezed, "Please don't do this Claude," he leaped forward and dug his fingers in the fabric of Claude's suit pants. "It is my debt, not his."

Ciel tilted his head. "Shut up Alois," he snapped.

Turning to his older brother, the pale blue eyes locked with cobalt ones. "Don't do this, Ciel. It is my debt to pay, not yours. You were not even supposed to get involved in this."

"Alois, I am your older brother thus involved in every dumb decision you make," Ciel concluded brisk. "I will always look out for you, no matter how careless or stupid your actions are. I will always take care of it, no matter the cost."

"You cannot do this," Alois wailed. "This will wreck your future reputation."

Ciel smiled confident. "It will be fine," he said and jerked his head to Claude. "People like him can hardly wreck my reputation," he faked a smug smirk. "They don't pull that kind of strings."

Alois clenched the damp fabric of his jeans and dropped his chin to his chest, using his blonde bangs to hide his swollen eyes. "I got myself into this mess. Why would you get me out of it?"

"Look at me Alois," Ciel leaned in as far as he could with two males pinning him down. "I said look at me."

Alois tilted his head and a sobbed when he saw that reassuring look that was always there to comfort him, not matter how badly he screwed up. It reminded him how much Ciel looked like their deceased father. "I am your big brother," Ciel concluded, "and it is was responsibility to keep you safe. If for anything I screwed up, failing to keep you away from men like this. So no matter the consequences, I will always clean up your mess."

Claude had been watching the two interact with contempt. The persistent devotion of the eldest Phantomhive brother disgusted him greatly. He straightened his pants and stood, hovering over the two brothers like an immense dark shadow. "I hate to interrupt such a heartfelt brother moment," he said, every syllable he spoke dripping mockery. "But what is it going to be?"

"Ciel," Alois's eyes begged. "Don't do this."

"I will take his place," Ciel replied while looking his younger brother straight in the eye. Alois dropped his head and wept audibly. It was a knife to Ciel's heart.

Claude's smirk grew and low chuckle rolled over his tongue. "Excellent choice," he mused and turned to the crying blonde. He bend down and cupped Alois's chin, roughly forcing the teenager to look at him. "I am afraid this is where our corporation ends, shark bait. I never keep things I cannot use around for long," he wiped a tear of Alois's cheek with his thumb. "It should comfort you that I fairly enjoyed your talented mouth," his eyes darted to his third bodyguard. "Throw him out."

The plum haired male stepped around his boss and easily heaved Alois off the floor. He threw the squirming blonde over his shoulder and walked out under loud protest of the teenager.

"Ciel! Don't do this, Ciel!" Alois's cries died down while the two disappeared down the hall.

Ciel chuckled softly and dropped his chin to his chest. "Be safe Alois," he muttered under his breath.

Claude sank down in his chair, crossed his legs and placed his fingertips against his lips. "All the things I can do to you," he mused while glancing at twenty-something male that was now kneeling at his feet. Claude pressed the tip of his black leather shoe underneath Ciel's chin and forced him to look up. "Such lively eyes," he murmured while propping his cheek up against his knuckles. "I'm sure they will look even more alive once you bend to my will."

Ciel did not move a muscle while Claude's other hand reached down and his slender fingers slowly started to unzip his pants again. Ciel swallowed, and swallowed once more, but what lay ahead rendered his throat completely dry.

"You can continue where your brother left off," Claude informed him coolly.

"Do it yourself," Ciel snapped and spat on the floor. "I would not even lay a finger on you if someone paid me a million yen. I'm not a disgusting fruit like you."

Claude hissed and Ciel yelped involuntarily when the two males dragged him forward until he was flanked by Claude's muscular legs. His face was now dangerously close to the cum leaking head of the cock and he gagged when the erection twitched.

"Suck it," Claude demanded.

"Bite me."

Claude's eyes briefly exchanged a look with his two employees. One sank down next to Ciel and squeezed his nose shut. For as long as he could, Ciel tried to hold his breath. When he felt his lungs spasm painfully in his chest, he was forced to breathe. He felt a shoes press against the back of his head and his protest was nipped in the bud when the thick erection was shoved down his throat. Ciel tasted the tangy flavour of the cum. The cock was warm and fleshy and he felt it stiffen even more and throb between his lips. It made him nauseas.

"Fuck," Claude arched and grabbed a fistful of the slate locks. He forced Ciel's mouth up and down his cock in a manner that pleased him. Saliva trailed down the shaft and pearled in the fine black hairs. Ciel squeezed his eyes shut and tried to comfort himself with the thought that he had succeeded in his quest. Alois was safe.

"Your brother was much more skilled at this," Claude spoke through gritted teeth. "I bet he sucked many guys before with that hot mouth of his. But you," he grabbed Ciel's bangs and tugged hard, forcing the blue eyes to meet his. "Knowing I brought the rightful heir of the Phantomhive empire to his knees is such a pleasure it greatly makes up for your lack of talent."

Ciel thought about biting down on the dick, but he calculated the consequences of such rash methods. They would indubitably beat him up and after the inevitable beating, he would still be forced to please the bastard with his mouth. Seeing the demonic lights in the golden eyes, he knew Claude would never extend him the courtesy of killing him before he had humiliated him in every way possible.

"You like it, don't you, Phantomhive?" Claude snarled through clenched jaws, followed by a deep guttural grunt. "Your fucking muscles cradle my cock so neatly. A perfect fit- ah fuck," Claude knotted his fingers in the bangs, pulled the mouth off his erection and rubbed himself until he came over Ciel's face. Between the groans and cursing, he laughed at the defeated male and bending over, he licked the sperm off Ciel's cheeks and kissed him violently, forcing Ciel to swallow the warm fluids. The second Claude pulled back, Ciel spit it out onto the floor. Claude tilted his head until his glasses tinted over, making his expression unreadable. "Let's try that again. With a little more enthusiasm," Claude squeezed his length, grabbed a handful of Ciel's slate hair and pulled his head back to his leaking cock.

Ciel pressed his lips together and inhaled deep. His decision to take Alois's place was for the best, but he already regretted it immensely. Reminding himself that he'd better comply without a fight than having to do all this after been beating up, he let Claude prod the head of his cock between his lips again.

* * *

Alois was carelessly thrown onto the snow covered concrete of a dark alley behind the club. Barely dressed, the cold December wind whipped at his bare torso and cheeks. He did not care for it and his hands clenched to fists while he banged on the metallic door, demanding to see his brother. After ten minutes, he wobbled out onto the busy avenue that was parallel to the club and using the wall as support, he staggered to the front. He was refused entrance and when he screamed and scratched the bouncer, he was harshly shoved backwards. He lost his footing and tippled back into a heap of fresh snow.

His entire body ached from the rough treatment he had endured these past hours as Claude's personal sex toy, and the biting cold of the snow and wind made it even worse. Forcing himself back onto his feet, he accosted strangers, begging for their help. The pedestrians avoided him or simply shoved him back into the snow. When his body started to feel numb, he gave up and sat on the snowy pavement, his face buried in his hands. When desperation struck and he lost the feeling in his limbs due to the frost, he used his last energy to grab a thick overcoat that passed him.

"Please," he begged, his fingers curling into the black woolen coat. "My brother."

Two voices started a short argument overhead and after a minute, the heavy fabric of the coat fell onto Alois's slender shoulders. The stranger sank down in front of him. His amethyst eyes were kind and observed Alois with a type of concern he usually only received from Ciel.

"What happened to your brother?"

Black dots danced in front of Alois's eyes. The kindness eased his mind so that he felt safe to give into the exhaustion he had been battling. "Debt. Faustus. Phantomhive." It were the only words Alois could muster before he fell forward against the warm chest and lost consciousness.

"Joker, would you just leave that kid," a blonde groaned gruff while he buried his face a little deeper into his thick blue shawl. "We're already late and you know how he hates it when we're late."

"Did he just say Phantomhive?" Joker glanced down on the unconscious teenager that was pressed against his chest.

"How the fuck should I know? Why should I care? We're going to be late."

"Shut the fuck up, Bard," Joker snarled. "I'm trying to think here."

"That would be a first," Bard huffed while he dug up a cigarette. "You should not randomly pick up things that are just lying on the pavement you know. Who knows what diseases he might carry," he pointed out while lightening the cigarette.

"He is not an animal Bard," Joker spat back while he snapped his head up and gazed at the long line of people who were anxiously waiting to get into Club F and tried to find the link between the infamous bar and the words the teenager had summoned before passing out.

"Who knows?" Bard exhaled a huff of tobacco. "He is lying in front of this dump," he nodded at the club.

Joke dropped his chin to his chest and studied the teenager. His body was covered with red marks and rope burns. Drawing his own conclusions, he cradled the teenager to his chest and lifted him off the street. Regardless of the nature of the unhinged words he had spoken, he somehow suspected it would be wise to take this boy to see his boss.

"What the hell are you doing idiot," Bard snarled. "I told you about picking up things off the street right? What if he has rabies?"

"Keep your forked tongue behind you teeth, you oaf. He is not a dog! Hand me your coat."

"The hell I am, it's freezing!"

"Yes, and so is he. Don't be such a dick and hand me your coat. The office is only three blocks from here."

"Yes, three blocks too far."

"Bard, give me your damned coat or I'll tell him you were off banging whores last time we had a deadline and you feigned an illness."

Muttering that he never should have confided in him, Bard pawed his coat off and draped the heavy and warm fabric over the shivering blonde in Joker's arms. Joker nodded up ahead and without drawing too much attention to themselves while passing the bouncers of Club F, they disappeared around the corner

* * *

 Ciel lay motionless on the floor, staring at the ceiling. He had blocked out everything around him. A sort of self-defence mechanism triggered by the filthy things he had been forced to do. Touches. Noises. Smells. Tastes. It was all the same to him.

After Claude had savagely taken advantage of his mouth, he had taken Ciel's clothes off and undressed himself after. Claude's lips had brushed over every inch of his skin. His fingers had felt up places Ciel had never let anyone touch him before. Claude's fingers had curled around his cock and to his own disgust, he came while Claude jerked him off.

"Turn over."

Claude did not wait for Ciel to obey him and roughly rolled him over onto his chest. Ciel's hips were raised into the air and he winched when he felt the Claude's tongue lap and prod at his untarnished hole. It felt unnatural and much against his own disdain, he felt his cock react to the administrations. He kept telling himself it was just the touch, not the male that turned him on.

"Hard again already," Claude murmured and made Ciel moan when he reached around and pressed his thumb against the slit. "And leaking," he chuckled mockingly. "I thought you weren't a fruit like me."

"Shut up," Ciel growled. "You're a fucking disgusting fag."

Claude sat back and licked the beats of Ciel's cum off his fingers, coating them with his own saliva. "Let's see if you still feel that way after I fucked you."

Ciel's eyes cracked open and he frantically tried to crawl away when he felt the finger press against his hole.

Before his finger could enter Ciel, turmoil behind the door caught Claude's attention. He snapped his head up in time to see one of his plum haired employees crash through the door and land some feet away. A bullet wound in his stomach tainted his white shirt red.

"Even now you rely on such useless puns," a voice said calmly from the hallway. Expensive shoes clacked onto the marble floor and crimson eyes gazed disgusted at what was taking place on the thick white rug in the middle of the room.

Claude smirked and turned all his attention to the intruder. "Good evening, Sebastian," he greet coolly, forgetting about Ciel for a moment and getting to his feet to level with him. "It has been a long time."

"Claude," this Sebastian acknowledge with repulsion in his voice. "Still hopelessly tactless as always I see."

Claude ignored the insult and crossed his arms over his bare chest. "Still the sly hypocrite you always were. It's so pathetic I am almost amused by it. What brings you to my club?"

Sebastian pulled a hand from the pocket of his long black overcoat and raised a finger at the shivering Ciel who was failing to cover his vitals with his dress pants. "I came to retrieve that," Sebastian said stoically.

Ciel's expression changed and he squinted harshly at Sebastian. If the situation had been any different, he would have spoke up to defend himself. Cowering on the floor in the nude, it did not seem like the best idea to stick up for his wounded pride.

Claude crossed his arms and tilted his head. "He is not yours to retrieve," he threw a look over his shoulder that made Ciel freeze in position. "He has a large debt to fulfill. One he will fulfill with his virgin body."

Sebastian's expression did not change, but tiny ominous lights lit up in his crimson eyes. It was the second most terrifying thing Ciel had seen in his life. They were an omen that what this man had to offer was hardly any better than becoming Claude's pet.

"Perhaps this will lead to some sort of negotiation." Sebastian reached into his coat and retrieved a folded piece of paper from his inside pocket. "I know you grave this more than anything."

Claude got to his feet, snatched the parchment from Sebastian's hands and unfolded it. His eyes lit up and he gazed at Sebastian over the rim of the paper. "You would never do that."

Sebastian briefly turned to look over his shoulder. A ginger haired male emerged from the shadows of the hallway and entered the room, carrying a metallic suitcase. "Put it on the table, Joker," Sebastian said, not taking his eyes off Claude. Joker followed his orders, put the case down and entered the numerical combination. The lock clicked. Joker opened it and stepped aside.

Claude glanced sideways at the table. From his position on the floor, Ciel couldn't see a thing, he only assumed that it would be filled to the brim with money, drugs or whatever means of payment was ordinary in their crude world.

"Do we have a deal or not Claude?"

Ciel looked from one to the other. From the naked Claude to the smartly dressed Sebastian. Neither of them seemed like a good option. Naked or dressed, both looked equally dangerous.

Claude sauntered to the table and took the item from the case. It wasn't money, or even drugs. It was a simple copper key. Looking at it in the light, he hesitated for a second before turning to Sebastian. "Why would you trade this for the Phantomhive boy? What do you stand to gain from it?"

"My reasons are my own. I know you were always fixated on owning this," Sebastian spoke coolly. "Take the deal while it still on the table. I have no intention to stand here all night while you waver about your options and answer. I have much better things to do with my time."

Claude put the key back with the utmost delicacy and slowly closed the suitcase. Not turning around, he told Sebastian to take Ciel with him.

Ciel swallowed audibly and started gathering his clothes at Sebastian's command. Dressing himself as quickly as possible, he snatched his gun from the floor and pushed it behind his belt. Reluctantly, he walked up to whatever fresh hell Sebastian was without sparing Claude another glance.

"Thank you," Ciel muttered when he was close enough for Sebastian to hear. Sebastian just cocked an eyebrow and stared at Ciel for a moment, not saying a word. It made Ciel feel uncomfortable about the entire ordeal.

"Let's go." Sebastian pushed his hands in his pockets in a nonchalant gesture, turned on his heels and walked out. Joker followed loyally in his wake. Sighing, Ciel put one foot in front of the other and bowed his head as he followed.

"Sebastian. Aren't you afraid that I will come and claim back what is mine regardless of our deal?"

Ciel froze when he heard Claude's words. He had not fathomed that possibility yet.

Sebastian stopped to look over his shoulder. A playful lopsided smirk curled his lips. "Isn't that the fun of it? Good evening, Aniue."

* * *

Outside, the cold wind whipped at Ciel's cheeks. He shivered uncontrollably but he wasn't sure if it was from the winters' cold. Silently, he plowed after Sebastian and Joker who were in deep conversation, entirely ignoring him. After a block, Ciel got fed up with the two and stopped abruptly.

"Ex-fucking-cuse me," he yelled. Both males stopped in their trail and turned. Ciel crossed his arms and tilted his head with a certain air. "If you're going to ignore me, can I at least be excused so that I can go and find my brother?"

Sebastian's eyes glanced hard at Joker. He gave Sebastian a short nod in response, revolved on his heels and walked on, leaving Ciel to the mercilessly intense gaze of Sebastian.

Sebastian walked over, the snow on the pavement crackled under his expensive shoes with every slow step. Ciel swallowed and exhaled a groan. Even after all the horrors he had endured, this man stirred up something inside him he had not felt before. The way he approached him, like a big cat sneaked up on its prey. Primal and strangely elegant. It made Ciel shiver from head to toe.

Sebastian was now standing so close Ciel could smell his cologne. An intoxicating mix of sensual cardamom and notes of grapefruit. It was mouthwatering. He loomed over Ciel and it both intimidated and allured Ciel more than he would ever care to admit, even to himself. The fierceness of Sebastian's crimson eyes in sharp contrast to the stoic expression on his face. Ciel set his jaw and tried to act aloof.

"You are Ciel Phantomhive, are you not?"

Ciel arched an eyebrow. "I am."

"And I just settle your debt with Claude Faustus."

"Yes, you did but-"

"I think that makes it quite clear that you cannot nor will leave my side until you have paid off what you owe me."

Swallowing audibly, Ciel tried to dodge. Sebastian acted much faster. He grabbed his wrist and prevented Ciel from running. Sebastian wrapped his free arm around Ciel's waist and pulled him against his chest. The place where Sebastian's gloved hand touched the small of Ciel's back started to glow. Ciel bit his bottom lip and did not dare look beyond Sebastian's mouth.

Sebastian smirked mysteriously and bend down. An involuntary guttural noise from deep within Ciel's gut spilled from his mouth when their lips touched in an almost feathery fashion. It was such a delicate sensation compared to the rogue manners he had been subjected to under Claude's firm hands.

"You are indebted to me," Sebastian breathed sensually, "and until you have fully repaid your debt I own you, entirely."


	2. II

For a moment all sounds, besides his own erratic breathing, had seemed to have grown silent. As if time had frozen everyone and everything except them. Ciel gazed up in fiery crimson eyes. Sebastian scrutinized him with a sadistic type of animation, enjoying the various emotions Ciel went through in that exact moment. When time unfroze and their surroundings turned back to normal, Ciel found his ability to speak again.

"Excuse me? You owe me?" He repeated and could not hold back a sarcastic chuckle. "What does owning me entail? You want me to become your butler or something?"

Sebastian reached down and retrieved a package of Lucky Strikes from his coat pocket. Taking his leisure time, he loosely stuck a cigarette between his lips and lit it with a striking silver Zippo lighter. He huffed out a cloud of tobacco and rolled his eyes upward, as if thinking about something.

"I think your question answers itself. I bought your freedom from Faustus, making you my property until you have repaid your debt to my satisfaction," Sebastian's eyes rolled down and studied the young face. "And if only it were something as simple as becoming my butler. I am not satisfied that easily."

Ciel felt his face twitch and he laughed again, a little more nervous this time. "You are aware that we don't live in the eighteenth century anymore and that there are laws against enslaving people or human trafficking. I think you violated both tonight."

Sebastian expression did not change one bit. These kind, but urgent reminders, seemed to have no effect on him. He seemed even more entertained by them, and Ciel realized that, as ridiculous as it may be, Sebastian was probably no stranger to situations and threats like these.

He bend down, blowing smoke in Ciel's face. He coughed and tried to turn his head away. Sebastian snatched his chin before he could and forcefully made Ciel look at him. "Laws are there to be broken, and I always took them more as guidelines anyway," he spoke in a dead calm voice.

"You are not above the law. I could easily go to the police and turn you in," Ciel hissed.

Sebastian pursed his lips and nodded slowly. "You could, and I have no intention of stopping you if you should choose to go to the bureau with this matter." He leaned in even closer and continued in a whisper. "I should tell you though, the prime minister and the General of the MDP are regular guests at my annual Christmas parties."

Ciel pressed his lips together and clenched his hands into fists. "Of course they are. I should know by now the entire political system is run by crooks who fraternize with the likes of you," he spat.

Sebastian grinned broad and cocked his head, his eyes examining Ciel's venomous expression. "Don't look at me with such hatred. You'll see, you will grow to love me."

"I would not start holding my breath if I were you," Ciel snapped harsh and Sebastian finally let him wiggle away from him. Ciel made a hand gesture. "You can forget about this entire ordeal. I refuse to become anybody's personal toy. Ever," he informed and stomped off.

"We could do that," Sebastian began. "I reckon Faustus would be inclined to trade you back. He seemed very taken with you."

Ciel whirled back towards Sebastian and threw his hands in the air. "Let him. I can face him on my own. I don't need you and your fancy shoes and cologne for that."

Sebastian arched a puzzled eyebrow. "Right," he breathed uninterested and dropped the butt of his cigarette on the pavement, extinguishing it with his shoe. "I suppose he would also settle with taking your brother should you decided to back out of our deal."

Ciel froze. Sebastian had him right where he wanted him. Ciel could never let anything like that happen to his younger brother again. With reproach, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and slowly walked back to Sebastian. Standing so close that if he reached out his hand, he could touch him, Ciel whispered; "what would the terms of our deal entail?"

With a grin like a Cheshire cat Sebastian leaped forward, wrapped an arm around Ciel's slender shoulders and with firm pressure forced him to walk with him. "Why don't we go and discuss those in a more comfortable setting?"

"Somewhere you are not?" Ciel commented cranky.

"Ha ha, aren't you quite the comedian," Sebastian replied dryly.

They turned a corner. An enormous sleek town car left the line of waiting cabs and pulled up to the curb. The driver stepped out and walked around the Maybach to open the door. He smiled at Sebastian with a natural sense of respect. Ciel got a different kind of look. One that seemed to be filled with a sort of empathy. As if the driver knew what was waiting for Ciel if he got into the car. He swallowed, and turned to Sebastian.

"Where are we going?"

Sebastian squinted, and for a moment Ciel thought he could detect a shred of compassion. It faded as quickly as it had appeared and his face became an unreadable mask again. Sebastian tilted his head and spoke to his driver. "The Aldgate," he said, shoved an unguarded Ciel into the back of the car and slid in right after him. The door closed, instantly shutting out the outer world. Ciel lifted his head and reached for the handle of the door closest to him. Sebastian was faster and locked both doors with a button to his right. Ciel gritted his teeth and peered over his shoulder. Sebastian smiled calmly and offered him a cigarette. Ciel waved it away, straightened himself and crossed his arms.

"You think you are so smart, don't you?"

The Zippo clicked and Sebastian inhaled deep. "For now, I have easily outsmarted you every step of the way," he replied and glanced Ciel over. "Don't look so impossible bothered. It is not attractive on you."

"Though luck." Ciel mashed his brows together and stared persistently at his shoes. He felt Sebastian's fierce eyes burning as he stared at him, but Ciel paid it no attention and looked away. Eventually, Sebastian seemed to have had enough and turned his eyes to the tinted window. Even in this dire situation, Ciel felt he sighed with relief.

* * *

During the drive Ciel started to recapitulate his night and all the events that lead to the point where he became a hostage to an unknown male who now whisked him away in a black Maybach. It all seemed unreal, as if he had become an extra in a B-rated teenage drama. His thoughts drifted to Alois and he felt enraged. How could his younger brother have been this stupid to get himself tangled up with the Japanese Mafia? Something Ciel had tried to shun him from since it had become his task to look after Alois.

He studied Sebastian from the corner of his eye. He was not even sure if he was a member of the Mafia or if he was just a filthy rich common criminal who had more money than brains and liked to spend his fortune in extravagant ways. He cared for neither and tried to wrap his mind around a solution to get himself out of this situation. As Sebastian had informed him so eloquently, going to the police would not be an option. Thinking about it a little more, Ciel had to admit he did not feel much for having to share his embarrassing story about rape and slavery only to be told they couldn't, or better yet, wouldn't do anything to help him.

"How much did you actually pay him?"

Sebastian seemed surprised when he turned to look at Ciel. He crossed his legs and folded his hands around his right knee. "A fair amount if you consider the price some people would pay to see you killed."

Ciel shuddered at his words, and the unmoved stoic way in which he spoke them. He lifted his chin and tried to look fearless. "That does not answer my question. How much?"

The car came to a smooth stop. Sebastian leaned forward and tapped on the screen that divided the front from the back. It soundlessly slid down and through the front window, Ciel saw they were at the Center Gai in Shibuya. Sebastian exchanged some words with his driver, grabbed Ciel's wrist and stepped out, dragging the younger man along.

"This way."

Sebastian yanked him past droves of youths, skilfully navigating him through the crowd without getting noticed. Ciel tried to wiggle away. The pressure on his wrist was becoming painful, it made his skin burn.

"I can walk myself," he said and with one last strong tug, he freed his arm from the firm grasp. Sebastian turned around, taking one large step so that he was close enough to snatch Ciel should he try to escape. Ciel rubbed his sore skin and threw him a resentful look. "Was that really necessary?"

Sebastian's eyes scanned the crowd with care and he did not answer until he seemed sure enough that nobody had followed them. He bend down and spoke in a hushed tone. "This is not the kind of neighborhood you would want to wander around alone."

Ciel frowned and looked left and right. "I have walked here. Alone," he emphasized. "There is nothing wrong with it. Unless it is not safe to walk here with you," he hissed and squinted thoughtfully.

Sebastian did not reply and kept looking ahead. His eyes then focused and his hand closed around Ciel's. His hold was a lot less tight than before, which made Ciel a little more willing to follow him without questions. "We should get inside," was all the explanation he gave as they kept moving through the mass of people who were unaware of the duo's peculiar situation and were on their way to go dancing or drinking.

They stopped at a pub that was tugged away in a corner of the busy street. "Get in," Sebastian hissed and shoved him through the door. He threw one more cautious look to his left and right before following Ciel into the overcrowded bar.

Inside, Sebastian exchanged a meaningful glance with one of the bartenders and a table in the back corner was cleared almost instantly. Sebastian sank down in the booth and gestured for Ciel to take the seat next to him. Stubbornly, Ciel took the seat opposite of him. Since it seemed to amuse him, Sebastian decided to let it be for now. He unbuttoned his coat and turned to the waiter who had patiently waited for them to get comfortable.

"A glass of the sixteen-year Jura, no ice. What do you want?"

Ciel threw a quick look at the menu and recognized none of the beers. He picked it up and studied it a little closer, silently wondering what cider was and whether he would like it or not. "I think I will take a..."

"He will have a Brewdog," Sebastian decided for him. "Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?"

"No," Ciel replied groggily, even though his stomach started to grumble as he got a whiff of the smells that came from the kitchen. He did not like it when others made decisions for him without consulting him first. With Sebastian, he decided he did not like it period. "What was all that secretive skulking about?" Ciel asked the second they were left alone.

Sebastian laced his fingers together under his chin and leaned forward. "Nothing you have to concern yourself with for now," he answered and changed the subject instantly. "Are you sure you're not hungry. I can hear your stomach grumbling over the music."

"No!" Ciel insisted angrily. "I want to know what the hell was going on outside."

The waiter came around with their drinks. Sebastian pulled a clip with money from his inside pocket, handed a pile of billets to the waiter and told him they wanted to left alone for at least half an hour. Ciel grumbled, pulled the brown bottle with dark blue label his way and took a large gulp. The bitter taste felt good on his tongue and soothed his anger a little bit with each sip.

"You are a very wanted man Ciel, even if you don't know it or want to acknowledge it yourself," Sebastian explained calmly and pulled a cigarette from the package. "You're a part of your father's world whether you choose to be or not."

Ciel's eyes dropped to the label of his beer and he trailed the large white letters with his thumb. "I am very well aware what line of business my father was in when he was still alive. I never entertained the thought of following in his footsteps though. I have no dealings with that world."

Sebastian leaned back and took a sip of his whiskey. "Your brother seems to think otherwise."

"Alois is young and stupid. That combined with too much money could never lead to anything good. He did not know what he was getting himself into," Ciel briefly looked Sebastian in the eye before he continued his study of the label. "He mingled with the wrong crowd. The type of people I wanted to protect him from. But I cannot watch him all the time and now that he turned eighteen five months ago, I cannot tell him how to spend his money either. I told him to invest it into a good college and his future but he..."

"You don't have to excuse yourself to me. Your brother's reckless behaviour is of no concern to me."

"It is to me!" Ciel snapped and took another sip to settle himself down. "It is to me," he repeated more absentmindedly.

"It seems to me that all your good intentions and guidance has ultimately been the trigger that lead to his reckless behaviour," Sebastian concluded coolly. "And look where it got you. Up to your elbows in alligators."

Ciel hissed and started to peel the label off the bottle. "What would you know? I am his older brother. I was supposed to shield him from all this. Now the shit has hit the ceiling and this was the only way out."

Sebastian squinted and scrutinized him through his lashes. "You are mistaken, Ciel. This was not the only way out. You could have let him take care of his own business."

"I am his older brother!" Ciel said raising his voice.

"Exactly," Sebastian replied. "You are his older brother. Not his father or his mother. You have no obligation to save him all the time. If you had not, he might have learned to take care of things himself for a change."

Ciel looked away and took another gulp of beer. "Just before they died I promised my parents that I would always look after him, regardless of the mess he got himself into."

Sebastian lifted an eyebrow. "I find that hard to believe since it's common knowledge that your parents died in a car crash. Their accident was the headline of any newspaper for almost a month."

"So I promised at their grave," Ciel growled irritated. "It's not as if you care about such details, or care at all. If you did, you would let me out of this debt without wanting anything in return."

"Now that I cannot do. I am not a philanthropist. When I invest my money or assets, I expect that something fruitful will come from it so," he patted on the seat next to him. "Let's talk business."

Ciel arched an eyebrow, reclined in his seat and shook his head. "I am fine where I am."

"If you don't care if someone overhears what we are discussing, you can stay right where you are. It's all fine by me." Sebastian shrugged nonchalant.

Ciel grumbled annoyed and downed the remains of his beer in one large sip. "If I have to sit that close to you again, I am definitely going to need another beer," he quipped and waved the empty bottle in the air. Sebastian narrowed his eyes at him and said his name in a warning manner. Ciel ignored it and put down an order for another beer. After it was brought around, he reluctantly got up and sat next to Sebastian. The soft light of the pub cast shadows on Sebastian's face and only then did Ciel took notice at how incredibly handsome Sebastian really was. He then frowned at himself for thinking something that ridiculous.

"So," Sebastian draped his arm over the back of the wooden bench and leaned in so close that Ciel could smell his cologne and the mix of whiskey and cigarettes on his breath. He almost lost himself in the intoxicated scent. "Have you giving your repayment any thought yet? Cash, business assets, or perhaps physically," Sebastian whispered husk and let his hand run up Ciel's thigh. Ciel tried to push it away but Sebastian's fingertips dug in and massaged his flesh. It was strangely soothing.

"I would have to call my notary. He is in charge of the funds. Which reminds me that I have to fire his sorry ass for unfreezing Alois's entire fund and handing it to him without consulting me. How much are we talking about?"

Sebastian leaned down until his lips touched Ciel's ear. It made him shiver in what seemed excitement. He scolded himself instantly for even thinking such things about the man who took him hostage.

"I could argue that your debt is invaluable, which it is. But I will be fair. Taken everything in account, and rounding it up to an even number, you owe me eighty million Yen."

Ciel's jaw dropped as he stared wide-eyed at the man next to him. "Eight... eighty million yen?"

Sebastian shrugged. "If you had only let your brother pay off his debt it would eventually have cost you a lot less, but since that is now in the past, ancient history if you will, we will have to make due with the current situation. So, what do you suggest? I'm sure you can give the deeds to one or two companies that you own and all will be over in no-time. Ciel?"

Ciel lay face forward on the table, quietly repeating the ridiculous amount of money Sebastian had suggested as if it was nothing more then a hundred Yen. He crunched the numbers in his head, and knew that even if he had not spend a dime of his own trust, he could never repay him in eighty million years.

"Ciel?" Sebastian repeated softly.

Ciel finally snapped out of his numerical world and shot back up. "Eighty million Yen? Are you insane? What did you give Faustus that could possibly cost that much?!"

"That is none of your concern," Sebastian replied coolly.

"You just made it my concern when you mentioned that I have to pay you eighty million Yen!" Ciel hissed venomously and took a large gulp of beer right after, and another. He downed his second beer in half the time he had done the first and reordered another.

"What is all this fuss about?" Sebastian mashed his brows together. "The Phantomhive family owns over fifty-five percent of the Asian business market, ranging from warehouses and textile factories to import and export companies. I am pretty sure your father owns a fine share of stocks in Japan, and in China and Thailand as well. If you sum up all the profit from the Asian earnings alone, you're worth billions of Yen, and not even to mention all the companies Vincent bought in Europe and America. Your father was a very talented business man which, obviously, made him a dangerous opponent and much wanted man."

Ciel was rendered completely mute, blinking at Sebastian as if he were a fantasy creature that just grew four more heads. After several moments of silence, he burst into a fit of laughter. He kept laughing, not able to catch his breath, which made him desperately gasp for air. Sebastian just sat there and made no attempts to stop him. He glanced him over while he drank his extravagant whiskey.

"B-Billions of Y-Yen," Ciel hiccupped and wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. "Where did you get the ludicrous idea that we own such wealth?"

Sebastian waited for the waiter to hand them their drinks and leave. He leaned in again and continued in a hushed manner. "How much did you know about Vincent's career?"

Ciel shrugged. "Not much. My mum used to tell us he was in business, not what type of business. He told me when I was old enough to know the truth and asked me if I wanted to take over his position once he became too old to execute his work himself. I declined, and he was fine with that. After that I asked him not to discuss business with me anymore. That's when he appointed my uncle as the sole administrator should anything ever happen to him. Uncle Midford never mentioned anything about billions of Yen. I'm sure he would if we made that kind of money... Would he?"

Sebastian dragged his thumb over his bottom lip and leaned back while Ciel began to wonder why his uncle never mentioned anything about his father's legacy. "He said my father left everything to him... And the notary confirmed it... I never saw the documents, I was so young... I trusted their judgment."

"Looks like they have been throwing you for a loop for, what? Seven years now," Sebastian concluded. Ciel only nodded, his lips moving without producing a sound. Sebastian raised his glass to his mouth. "That is an awful long time, kid."

Ciel snatched the glass away from Sebastian lips and downed the whiskey in one large gulp. He coughed after as the strong alcohol burned down his throat. He did not ask Sebastian anything and raised the glass, ordering two more whiskey and another beer. "And keep them coming," he said when their empty glasses were restored with full ones.

"Now that we ruled out money and company deeds as an option, we should look into alternative ways for you to repay what you owe me."

Ciel felt Sebastian hand creep up his leg again. He was by now tipsy enough to let him do as he wished without being bothered by it. If he would admit it, and he would only admit it to himself now that his mind was a bit fuzzy, he even started to like the teasing administrations of the strong slender fingers. He did not struggle when Sebastian pulled him closer towards him until he was nestled against the warm chest with a strong arm wrapped protectively around him. It felt strangely good, not having to keep his guard up and to be kept safe. He also realized that alcohol had only a minor part in that.

The scent of Sebastian's cologne made him dizzy, and the soft tresses of ebony hair felt pleasantly soft against his cheek. It felt nothing like Claude, which now seemed nothing more than a very bad memory. Sebastian's voice was kind, in a highly sophisticated manner, and he no longer reminded Ciel of the debt he still had to pay. Or perhaps he just did not hear correctly anymore. Words started to blend and it became harder to talk coherently. By the time they left, the pub was nearly empty, and Ciel was so unsteady on his feet that Sebastian had to support him back to the car.

The ride to wherever they were going were only vague images as Ciel drifted in and out of consciousness. One moment he felt his body curl up against Sebastian, mumbling words that made sense to him but could have been nothing more but gibberish. The next memory flash, Ciel had reached into Sebastian's coat and had made a stupid joke about his gun being erect. Before he knew, Sebastian had tossed him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and he was carried into a lobby and then into an elevator. He heard Sebastian take out some keys and he faintly recognized a red door. After that, his mind went blank and everything became black around him.

* * *

 When Ciel woke up his head was throbbing so painfully that it made him nauseas. He opened his eyes and thankfully, it was dark wherever he was. He lifted his head from an unfamiliar pillow and looked to his left. The digital clock next to him read half past four in the morning. He felt a bile rise in his throat and he tossed the blankets off and jumped out of bed. He was so unsteady on his feet that he tumbled forward and fell to his knees. He slapped a hand over his lips but could hardly hold back the nasty tasting fluid that filled his mouth. He frantically looked up and reached for a bucket shaped object to his left and threw up. Within seconds, a light was switched on and not much later, he felt a cool hand rub his back.

Ciel was sure he was going to choke. Sebastian's voice told him to breathe through his nose. Ciel wanted to yell at him to do it himself but all he could produce was more vomit. His stomach settled after two excruciatingly long minutes. He hung over the bucket for another minute to be sure he did not throw up on the floor. He then reclined back until he felt the soft fabric of the blankets against his back and dipped his chin to his chest, grunting painfully.

"Are you done?"

"I think so," he moaned, and fingered his throbbing temples. "How much did I have to drink?"

"Even I wasn't sure by the end," Sebastian admitted while he picked up the bucket and walked away. He switched on another light and Ciel heard him dump the alcohol miasma in the toilet. The sloshing and spattering sounds made Ciel cringe with shame. He closed his eyes and felt the room spin uncontrollably. He was still drunk.

"You did this to me you son of a bitch," he swore when he heard Sebastian return to the bedroom. There was no answer and Ciel heard a door open and close. Feeling completely miserable, he crawled back into the comfortable bed and pulled the blankets over his head. All he wanted to was to die out of both pain and embarrassment. What would Sebastian think of him now that he had thrown away his vomit? He groaned, irked that he cared what Sebastian thought of him.

Ciel was sure he had fallen asleep because he had not noticed that Sebastian had returned. He gently shook him and carefully peeled the blankets back. "Here." In his hands Sebastian had a strip of Advil and a glass of orange juice. "Sit up."

Ciel did as he was told, mumbled a meaningless thank you and took the pills and juice. Freshly squeezed juice had never tasted so good.

"Drink up. There is more," Sebastian nodded to a jug filled to the brim with juice that stood on the nightstand.

Ciel poured himself another glass and gulped it down hastily. Sebastian stood and walked back to the adjacent bathroom. Ciel's eyes followed him and only now he realized that Sebastian was dressed in nothing more but black brief boxers. He felt something stir in his stomach and he sadly concluded that it was not the alcohol. He looked down at the empty glass in his hands and came to the shocking discovery that he too, was dressed in nothing more than his underwear. He quickly placed the glass on the nightstand, pulled the blankets up to his chin and glowered at Sebastian when he returned from the bathroom with a clean bucket.

"Did you undress me you filthy pervert?! Did you expect to take advantage of me?"

Sebastian calmly placed the bucket on the floor next to Ciel's side of the bed, stood back and crossed his arms over his muscular chest.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news.. well actually, I don't hate it. You completely did that to yourself. I'm pretty sure you even tossed one of your socks out the window."

"Liar," Ciel hissed and squeezed his eyes until they were no more than slits. "You did this to me with your stupid pub and your fancy whiskey."

Sebastian sighed, rubbed his forehead and sank down on the edge of the bed. "Hearing you accuse everyone and everything but yourself, I am surprised the thought even occurred to you to take your brother's place."

Ciel recoiled and scooted away from him, desperately covering himself up to the best of his abilities and shooting insults Sebastian's way.

Sebastian rolled his eyes, reached out and easily peeled the blankets away from him, accusing him to stop acting like a damsel in distress. "Nothing happened, Phantomhive, in fact, in persuaded you to keep your boxers on. I do not take advantage of drunks. It's not half as fun and I don't want to rob your from fully experiencing the pleasure I would give you." He said and showed him his perfect white teeth in a handsome lopsided grin.

Ciel felt his eye twitch. "How very gallant of you," he muttered sarcastically.

"I know," Sebastian licked his lips and leaned forward, his strong underarms leaning on his knees. "I must admit that your proposal was indeed tempting and oh so hard to resist. You're lucky that I am a man of honour."

"Why do I find that hard to believe," Ciel retorted groggily and peered at him through his lashes, silently considering if it would be wise to ask. Curiosity eventually got the best of him. "What proposal?"

Sebastian pursed his lips before looking him straight in the eye. "I could have your virginity and I could do with you as I pleased for as long as you pleased me," he smirked wickedly. "Like I mentioned before, it was so very tempting." His eyes slid down over Ciel's naked torso and he sucked air through his teeth. "So incredibly hard to resist."

Ciel crossed his arms and tilted his head with an air of arrogance. "Now you're just making up stuff. I would never propose something as disgusting as that."

Sebastian nodded and said nothing for a moment. He then surprised Ciel by leaning in and flanking Ciel's thighs with his arms. His body reacted in such a manner that Ciel was certain Sebastian took notice of it. His blue eyes slowly slid down the long muscles of Sebastian's arms. They stopped and focused on a text that was tattooed on the inside of his right arm. He squinted, trying to read, but was soon distracted by Sebastian's lips that were so close Ciel could feel the warm whiskey and tobacco breath on his own. It made him shiver with unknown desire.

"I don't stand to gain anything by lying to you Ciel," Sebastian whispered. "I could have taped it with my phone, but that would mean that I would admit that I have no credibility. My word is truth, as much as your hard erection is right now."

Ciel tried to push him away. Sebastian would not move. He forcefully cupped Ciel's chin between his fingers and talked to his parted lips. "You don't have to deny the undeniable attraction. I have no respect for people who are untrue to their own nature and I am sure you are a respectable young man."

"I am," Ciel breathed. "I am not sure what you are."

Sebastian grinned and dragged the tip of his tongue over Ciel's lips. "You will have to find out for yourself along the way," he whispered before he kissed him.

Ciel tried to pull away. Sebastian grabbed his neck and pulled him even closer. He opened his mouth to protest, and Sebastian took this chance to slip his tongue between Ciel's parted lips. The more Ciel struggled, the more Sebastian seemed to pin him down.

His muscular body hovered over him now, Sebastian's strong legs flanking Ciel's thighs. He felt Sebastian's erection smoothly rub against his own and he could hardly deny it aroused him. His hands automatically reached for Sebastian's hips and grabbed onto them, pulling the warm body closer to his own.

Sebastian tore himself away, got up and peeled the blanket off Ciel. His eyes slowly roamed over the heaving torso and lean limbs. The lidded cobalt eyes stared up at him in confusion, not sure what to feel. A groan ripped from Sebastian's lips and he made Ciel squeal involuntarily when he pulled his boxers off with one strong tug. It made Sebastian chortle. Ciel only barked some curse words at him and reached for the blankets. Sebastian acted faster and tore them away entirely, dropping them on the floor at the foot of the bed.

"What do you think you're doing," Ciel hissed and propped himself up on his elbows, ready to leap away if necessary. Sebastian crawled onto the bed and grabbed Ciel's legs before he could roll away. He pulled, causing Ciel to tumble backwards. The mattress bounced pleasantly as soon as his back hit it. Ciel tilted his head and could not speak when he saw the crimson eyes peer at him with such delirious intensity that it rendered him completely speechless.

"I am doing what your body is begging me to do," Sebastian replied calmly and ran his fingertips up the trembling legs. "Any way you look at it Phantomhive you want this, and I am more than willing to give it to you," he explained and made Ciel produce a sound of arousal by massaging his thighs. "Your mouth can keep on denying the truth, but your body does not lie. It's imploring me to act," he breathed and pinning Ciel down with one hand, he made him cry out in pleasure by wrapping the slender fingers of his other hand around Ciel's erect cock and skilfully rubbing it in a tempo that made Ciel go insane with desire.

"Fuck," Ciel slammed his head into the pillow and stared wide-eyed at the ceiling. His mind was fuzzy with lingering alcohol and unknown longing. He could only produce sounds that forcefully convinced him of the inconvenient truth. He was enjoying every second of Sebastian's expert touch.

"Faster," he breathed and bit his lip to stop himself from begging further. He heard Sebastian chuckle animated and could not care for it. He wanted to feel more. He needed Sebastian to satisfy the aching desire that pooled in his stomach. "Fuck," he buried his fingertips into the mattress. "Give me more," he pleaded.

Ciel felt that Sebastian studied his changing expression closely. The blush of both shame and arousal that was splattered across his cheeks. The parted lips that panted and begged. The lidded eyes that silently pleaded.

"You truly are a magnificent vision to behold," Sebastian whispered in a voice that was thick with arousal. "I can see why Faustus already send his puppets after us to retrieve you."

"Don't fucking mention Faustus- ah fuck," Ciel squeezed his eyes shut and arched his back a little. "Not when I am so close."

Sebastian smirked at this and moved the hand that he had used to pin Ciel down up his thigh. Ciel moaned hard when Sebastian's hand caressed his sack in fleeting teasing moment. He opened his mouth to protest but could not speak when Sebastian pushed two of his fingers between the parted lips. He licked them in an obeying manner, his eyes never leaving the crimson ones that were staring at him with hot desire.

"Such a good boy," Sebastian mused, and forcefully pulled his fingers out of the warm mouth, a thread of saliva pearling from the tips.

"I'm- oh fuck." Ciel started to move his hips, causing more of the wanted friction and pressure on his throbbing cock. "I'm about to... I'm going to."

"Good," Sebastian breathed and made Ciel cry out when he inserted the two saliva coated fingers into Ciel's puckering virgin ass and rubbed the tips over Ciel's prostate.

Ciel's mind went blank. He was beyond shame and could only feel a raw desire that was extremely addictive. He heard himself call out Sebastian's name repeatedly, and was sure some of the neighbors could hear the almost animalistic noises that ripped from his lips. He was left impartial about that, not caring if every citizen in Tokyo overheard.

He came violently, pushing his lower body down to feel the fingers deeper inside him. His bare chest was coated with his own warm semen. His eyes never left Sebastian's, the intense pleasure that lay in the crimson orbs intensifying his orgasm that seemed to last a full minute. Afterwards, his fatigue body crashed down on the mattress and he lay there, staring at the ceiling and gasping for air and feeling completely mortified.

Sebastian carefully removed his fingers, aggravating Ciel's embarrassment when there sloppy pop echoed through the otherwise silent room as they slipped out. He draped an arm over his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at the obvious satisfaction on Sebastian's handsome face.

He felt the weight shift on the bed and gasped surprised when he felt Sebastian's tongue drag up his chest, lapping up the spilled semen. Ciel knew he was hovering over him, he could smell the whiskey and cigarette smoke on Sebastian's breath and mixed with the intense scent of sex, it instantly aroused him again.

"Never forget how I made you feel tonight. How you gave your body to me and how you became my property," Sebastian whispered and pressed his lips hard against Ciel's, letting him have a taste of his own fluids and invisibly marking Ciel as his own.


	3. III

Ciel awoke with a start the next morning. The room was still dark, with only a slim stripe of light creeping through the curtains to his left. The silence was eerie and felt almost ominous, like he could be prowled after by Sebastian at any second. He turned his head and squinted at the bright digital numbers. It was ten in the morning. Images of last night replayed in his head like a black and white movie. It made his naked body shiver under the heavy duvet, and he wondered if Sebastian was still in bed with him.

He held his own breath, and pricked up his ear. He heard no sounds. No breathing or moving of limbs. Cautiously, he reached out his hand underneath the covers. The spot next to him was empty and cold. Ciel sighed relieved, flipped over on his back and peered at the shadows on the ceiling. Everything that had happened to him in less than twelve hours seemed like a very badly written erotic novel. Tall dark strangers and sexual escapades he never fathomed he could actually enjoy. He groaned and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands.

"How do I get out of this?" He asked himself.

He concluded that is was pointless to await an educated answer to that question, threw the blankets off and searched the carpet for his boxers. He was still nurturing a headache, but it was evidently less due to the Advil and the juice he drank. Sebastian must have a lot of experience with taking care of drunk hostages, Ciel thought and involuntarily gritted his teeth in jealousy.

With his private regions covered, he felt less awkward while he paced through the enormous bedroom, looking for his other clothes. When his search left him with zero result, he opened the thick curtains to let in a little more light. He was momentarily blinded, and when his pupils had adjusted to the sun, he gaped stunned at the skyline of Tokyo. He could see the Rainbow Bridge, the Yakatabune boats that floated in the bay and he swore he could even see the snowy top of Mount Fuji. It was breathtaking.

"I'm in Odaiba?" Ciel concluded surprised. After the initial shock subdued, his mood made a drastic change. "Rich bastard," he muttered annoyed, turned his back on the view and put his hands on his hips. His clothes were nowhere to be found. There was nothing left for him to do than step outside the safety of the Sebastian free bedroom and search the other rooms, with the risk of running into the predator elsewhere in the apartment looking like this.

He opened the door and carefully poked his head out. The bright hallway was empty and the house seemed quiet so far. Ciel closed the door soundlessly and tiptoed down the corridor to the stairs. Standing at the top, he overlooked the living and open kitchen. It was tastefully furnished with designer items. The wall to his right was nothing but floor to ceiling windows. The wall to his left was decorated with black and white pictures. The air of class and sophistication would've irked Ciel a lot more had it not been for the pile of neatly folded clothes and gun that lay on the coffee table. He jogged down the steps and thankfully snatched them up, fleetingly paying attention to the note that had been laying on top of his shirt and which was now whirling to the floor.

Ciel dressed in a corner of the room that gave him a view of all the possible directions Sebastian could suddenly appear from. When it did not happen and he tugged his gun behind the waistband of his trousers, he let his eyes wonder to the yellow paper that had landed next to the couch. He picked it up and squinted at the barely readable scribbling. From what he could make out, Sebastian had gone to work and there was a time at the bottom at which he would return. Ciel fumbled the paper up into a ball and tossed it over his shoulder.

"As if I am going to hang around until you get back," he mumbled to Sebastian's invisible but very evident presence that lingered in the room even if he wasn't physically present. Ciel headed towards the front door, turned the knob and pulled. The lock wouldn't budge. He tried again and again with the same disappointing result.

"Blast it," he cursed and kicked the red wooden door. He futilely searched the apartment for a key. After thirty minutes of tearing the house apart, he sank down on a stool at the breakfast bar and sighed defeated. "I hate that asshole."

His stomach grumbled, and his throat was still dry from the alcohol he had drank last night. Ciel dragged himself to the large American refrigerator and yanked it open. He pulled a pack of juice from the door and drank from the carton, placing the empty pack back in its place. His eyes fell on some leftover pasta. He ate it from the box with his fingers. It taste lemony and creamy.

Chewing, Ciel walked to the pictures and scrutinized the variants of colorless skylines. When he was studying the Rotterdam skyline from upclose, he heard a noise that instantly drew his attention away from the pictures. A set of keys was jammed into the lock, the knob turned and the front door opened. Ciel dropped the box of pasta and leaped forward, ready to rush by Sebastian and make a run for the staircase. Instead, he glanced into a pair of big brown eyes that took him in curiously.

"Oh hello," the woman said heartily while pulling the keys out of the lock. "Sebastian did not tell me he had company."

"Because he doesn't," Ciel informed her coolly and snatched his peacoat off the back of a chair while heading towards the door. He stopped for a second, and hesitated. The woman smiled warmly and gestured into the room.

"You are welcome to stay. I'm just here to clean up," she informed and stuck out her hand. "I am Paula."

"I'm nobody," Ciel replied and left.

The elevator was empty. This relieved Ciel immensely. He pressed the button and leaned against the with mirrors covered wall behind him. It stopped at the twentieth floor and an elderly lady with a chihuahua on her arm entered. She scrutinized him over the rim of her golden glasses and turned her back on him with a disapproving clear of the throat. Ciel was certain she had smelled or possibly even seen the gay sex on him and he was once again mortified.

They arrived at the bottom floor and the doors soundlessly slid open, revealing a bright lobby with marble floors and massive windows. In his rush to get out Ciel stumbled over his own feet and nearly knocked the tiny dog out of the woman's chubby arms. It barked aggressively at him. He smiled meek and mumbled an apology. He was accused of being a filthy ruffian and sadly enough he could not disagree with her after what happened to him last night. He scurried to the glass doors and slipped out of the building.

It was snowing again. Thick flakes whirled out of a completely gray sky, and the icy wind blew them here and there. Ciel put his collar up, stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked down the pavement as fast as his legs could carry him. When he saw the train station, he made a run for it. He barely made the train that was about to depart to central Tokyo.

Ciel got off at the Shinagawa and jogged the five minute walk it took him to get from the station to his apartment. Before he entered the building, he threw a cautious look left and right to make sure no suspicious looking people had followed him. The street was strangely deserted. He deemed it was safe and got it.

* * *

The apartment was quiet. Nothing new under the sun. Alois usually stayed in his bed till late in the afternoon on a Sunday. Ciel dropped his keys on the kitchen counter and pawed his coat off. Rounding the corner to the living room, he was attacked by his younger brother who flung his arms around him and cried like a child.

"You're alright. I was so worried," he sniffled.

Ciel patted his back and hushed him. "I'm fine Alois," he lied to soothe his younger brother. "I am glad to see you made it back home in one piece."

"I stayed up all night, praying you would come home," Alois wailed and rubbed his nose at Ciel's suit jacket.

"There there," Ciel held the watery mess at arms-length and looked in his pale blue eyes. They were red and swollen from all the crying he had done. He felt a pang of sympathy in his chest, regardless of how mad he was at him.

Alois bit his bottom lip and fidgeted nervously with his hands. He always did this when he was anxious. "Did Mister Michaelis come and retrieve you like he promised?"

Ciel felt the knot tighten in his stomach. "Alois. Please tell me you did not get him involved into this?"

"I didn't?" Alois replied in a puzzled manner. "He got you out of there did he not?"

"Fuck Alois. Why do you keep screwing up like this?" Ciel threw his hands in the air, stomped to the couch and sank down in the soft leather. "I did not get you out of one debt just to be dragged into another. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I was trying to help." Alois raised his voice. "I didn't know how to act in a situation like that and you weren't there to help me. Sorry for trying to do the right thing."

"Of course I wasn't there. I was sitting out the debt you made," Ciel yelled, pointing an accusing finger at his younger brother. "How thick can you be, thinking that getting a completely stranger into it would be the right course of action? Listening to me in the first place, that would have been the right thing to do. If you had listened to what I told you about investing your money wisely all of this would not have happened."

"I am sorry, alright?" Alois clutched his own upper arms and turned his back on his older brother. "I'm sorry that I'm such a screw up. That I'm not more like you are. That I never learned how to take care of myself in problematic situations."

Alois's words were so close to the conclusion Sebastian had drawn last night it made Ciel doubt if he had acted in Alois's best interest, protecting him like he did. Right now, he was in no mood to admit this and waved his brother's words away with a careless gesture. "Stop making such a dramatic performance or should I just go ahead and throw you a pity party?"

Alois snapped around and threw his hands in the air. "What am I supposed to say Ciel? I screwed up, got you involved into something sinister, and now you're mad at me. I get it, but how am I supposed to make it right?"

Ciel stared at the blue diamond ring around his thumb and thought about his brother's words. Only now he noticed how tired he was. How heavy all his limbs felt and how he did not feel like having this conversation right now. He just wanted to sleep and forget about all of it.

"I am not mad Alois. I am disappointed"

"Disappointed," Alois repeated harshly. "That is even worse. Father always used to say that. Can't you just be mad and throw something at me?"

"Not right now," Ciel hoisted his fatigue body off the couch and trudged tiredly to his bedroom. "I am too worn out to discuss this or to even think about it. You can explain everything to me tomorrow at dinner and then I'll throw something at you, alright?."

"Ciel?"

He turned in the doorway. Alois looked at him in a way that only he could. It reminded Ciel of the day they first saw him at the orphanage. Fragile and innocent, with pale blue eyes that looked as if they were carved out of ice. Eyes that had seen too much for a boy his young age. Ciel could never stay mad at him for too long, though he was not sure if this time would be like all the others.

"I am truly sorry," Alois whispered and a new set of tears welled up in his eyes.

"I know you are," Ciel confirmed with a short nod. The two brothers looked at each other in silence after which Ciel excused himself politely and closed the door behind him. With effort, he wobbled to his double bed and crashed onto the navy blue sheets. He was no closer to getting himself out of this mess, but his mind was too drained to even be bothered by the situation he was in. He closed his eyes and fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

Ciel awoke early that next day. The sun wasn't even up yet. His head felt a lot better, even if it was still bothered by the worries of his strange weekend. He pawed off yesterdays clothes, tossed them in the hamper and pulled on a pair of sweats and a thick hoodie. In the kitchen he grabbed a bottle of water, wrote Alois a quick note and left.

The street was completely deserted. He could hear the busy morning traffic of the business district echoing amongst the tall skyscrapers. Ciel pushed his earphones in each ear, put his music library on shuffle and jogged down the pavement.

Questions swirled in his head. Facts and names. Things he had not known before he met Sebastian. Ciel wanted to ask his uncle what Sebastian had meant by company deeds, but he was out of town with his family. They always retreated to their estate in Sapporo for the holidays. An estate that used to belong to the Phantomhive family and which Ciel could not afford anymore. It only now struck him as peculiar that all the money that his father apparently had made in life, and which he had used to buy luxurious houses and take his wife and children on trips to America and Europe, seemed to have vanished after his death.

Ciel entered Kumin park and ran the route around the pond. His breath condensed in the cold winter air and due to both the weather and early hour, it seemed that the park was deserted as well. He remembered how Sebastian had told him the busy streets of Shibuya had not been a safe place for him. Ciel had never been afraid to walk around alone, always enjoying it more than anything, but this complete solitude now made him shiver. It automatically made him pick up his speed.

He safely returned back to his apartment building, stretched his warm muscles and went in. He took a long shower, thoroughly rinsing himself until he was certain he had washed away everything that had to do with Sebastian. He then turned the water cold to refresh himself completely.

By the time he had finished making breakfast and he poured himself a cup of coffee, Alois's bedroom door opened and he appeared in the kitchen, his eyes still sleepy and his hair a wild disarray.

"Did you sleep well?"

Ciel nodded and shoved a helping of eggs on a plate. He handed it to Alois who had dropped down at the breakfast bar. He emptied the remaining content of the frying pan on another plate and sat down next to his brother. Ciel picked up his coffee and read the paper while Alois absentmindedly poked his eggs. He sighed audibly and turned to his older brother.

"I am truly sorry Ciel. I thought about it last night and it sickened me."

"Could you pass me some toast?"

Alois handed Ciel a piece of bread and looked hopefully at his older brother, awaiting a freeing answer. Ciel buttered his toast and took huge bite. He ignored Alois's pleading eyes and returned to the article he was reading.

"Are we going to talk about it?" Alois finally cried out.

"I already told you that we are discussing it over dinner tonight," Ciel reminded him calmly. "I now have to get to the university. I have classes until six. What time will you be home?"

"I am working tonight," Alois informed him. Ciel chewed thoroughly at his last piece of toast and looked at a point in front of him as if thinking about something.

"What time are you off?"

"Half past seven."

"Alright. I will come to the restaurant then. We can have dinner and talk about it," he folded the paper and stuffed it in his old leather satchel. "I have to go now. Go get yourself ready or you'll be late for your classes."

"I want to talk about it now! I cannot wait until tonight."

Ciel downed his last sip of coffee and put his plate and empty mug in the sink. "Though luck Alois. I don't have time to talk about it now. I have several classes to teach, the study group and then 3 hours on advanced English linguistics. Can you do the dishes before you leave? And there are some dirty clothes in the hamper. Put them in the washer at a low temperature. Not too much fabric softener, it's pure wool."

"Ci-el," Alois whined. He paid it no attention, summed up some more chores and left.

Alois stared at the door, hoping Ciel would come back after all. When he didn't, he cursed out loud, threw his food away and stomped to his room.

* * *

Ciel took the train to the Hongō campus where he tutored two classes in modern and classic English literature. It was part of the research he had to conduct for his dissertation on the influences of the classic works opposed to the modern writings and which of those would be more useful in the current English study programs at Asian universities. The remaining hour he spend teaching French, replacing the actual teacher who was on maternity leave.

Arriving at the campus, he hurried down the lane that lead to the head entrance, passing some of his freshmen students who jokingly pointed out that he would be late.

Over half of the tables in his classroom were already occupied by chatting students. The second he walked in, the conversations grew silent and the students greeted him with an earnest respect. He smiled, and told them to carry on chatting while he got his things in order. He went to fetch himself a cup of coffee and sipped from steaming cup, patiently waiting until the last student had trickled in and he could start his class.

The two hours flew by. Ciel always tried to challenge his students with a large variety of books that weren't on the required reading list, and probably even forbidden due to the themes that some might argue were too explicit or filled with what they deemed to be the wrong kind of propaganda. If he wanted to proof his own theory, he needed the right research material, and since he students passed with more than decent grates, the head of the English department could not object to his methods. He was so emerged by the book he was discussing that he completely forgot about last weekends horrifying events.

He whistle when he walked to his third class and decided to let his students listen to French chansons, even turning the volume up above the approved limit. Several other professors walked in during that hour, requesting to turn the volume down. Ciel obliged, but turned it right back up after they left.

"For homework, I want you all to pick a favorite chanson sung by a French artist in the twentieth century, and I want you to translate the lyrics and tell me what you think the artist meant by those words. You will have to turn in your paper in two weeks, and you will have to present it in correct French in front of the class."

A weary moan submerged from the students. Ciel ignored it. "If you need any help, I am available on Wednesday and Friday after two. I will be in Dr. Murakami's office. Class dismissed."

He turned his back on the room. Chairs squeaked and students whispered as they left the room. Ciel gathered all his things and put them neatly in his satchel. The room had grown quiet, except for the with anguish filled voice of Edith Piaf who sang about lost love. Ciel walked to the record player and carefully lifted the stylus.

"Don't turn it off. It's such a beautiful song."

Ciel yelped involuntarily and turned on his heels. In the back of the classroom sat Sebastian.

"Son of a... What the hell are you doing here?" Ciel snapped.

Sebastian laced his fingers under his chin and leaned forward on the table. He smirked in an almost charming manner. "I just stepped by to see my property at work. You have a gift for teaching you know. Even I was enthralled by your enthusiasm."

Ciel swallowed. He felt a drop of sweat trickle down his throat. "How the hell did you find me here?"

"I have my methods, or as you would probably phrase it, my criminal contacts," Sebastian said and made air quotations with his fingers. "I didn't know you spoke French."

"There is a lot about me you don't know," Ciel quipped. "And which you never will either."

Sebastian pulled a face. "Come on Ciel, don't act that hostile."

"Don't just show up at my work and expect me to appreciate it," Ciel replied. "Was that all?"

"No." Sebastian slid out of the chair and walked Ciel's way with long steadfast strides. Standing toe to toe, he loomed over him like a dark skyscraper. "I was surprised to see you had escaped my apartment. Especially without leaving as much as a note. It cost me some trouble finding out where you were," he spoke in a voice so arctic it gave Ciel shivers.

"If you did not want me to escape, it was real stupid to let your maid come over to clean," Ciel hissed venomously. "Now if you will excuse me, I have a study group in forty minutes and I still have some papers to read through. Something I should have done this weekend but couldn't get due to very unfortunate circumstances."

Sebastian smirked. "They weren't that unfortunate. I seem to remember you were enjoying yourself." He leaned in and continue in a whisper. "Even begging me to continue."

"It was because you got me drunk you twisted bastard. I never would have enjoyed anything like that with the likes of you while being sober."

Both men looked up when someone knocked on the door and entered without awaiting permission. A tall balding man looked from one to the other and frowned his bushy brows. "When you are done here, Mister Phantomhive, could I have a word with you in my office?"

"I am done, Professor Randall. Let me walk with you, Sir."

The professor glanced the two over one more time, then turned on his heels and walked away. Ciel shot Sebastian a nasty glare, gathered his satchel and headed towards the door. Sebastian snatched him by the elbow and easily pulled him in until Ciel's back bumped against Sebastian's chest.

"I expect to see you at my office in Akihabara at seven sharp," he whispered and shoved his business card down the front of Ciel's pants. "I am taking you out to dinner," he added and allured a guttural groan from Ciel's lips by squeezing his clad flaccid cock. It responded eagerly to the teasing administration.

"I already have plans this evening," Ciel informed him, yanked the hand out of his pants and forcefully struggled himself out of Sebastian's iron grasp. He straightened his jacket and raised his nose up. "So take yourself out to dinner," he sneered and made a run for the door to get away from Sebastian and catch up with the head of the university.

"It doesn't matter how far away you run, Phantomhive. I will always find you."

Sebastian words echoed in Ciel's brain and gave him the eerie feeling that they might actually be right. He had found him within a day, even if Ciel had never informed him he was a student and tutor at the Hongō campus. Tokyo university had several campuses all over the city, and it had only taken Sebastian an insignificant amount of hours to find him in a city that was occupied by millions of people. He shuddered at the uncomfortable conclusion.

Professor Randall was waiting for Ciel outside his office and groggily gestured for him to get in. Ciel knew he was going to hear all about his absurd behaviour during the third years' French class and how he had disturbed other classes with his vulgar music. He didn't care, and walked in with his head held high. Nothing seemed that bad compared to the knowledge that Sebastian would always find him, no matter how far he ran, and that thought stuck with him for the remains of the day.

* * *

By the time Ciel had finished the study group on the Shakespearean age literature and poetry and sat through his own classes in advanced English linguistics, his mind was so filled with the looming danger of Sebastian that he half expected to see the black sleek town car when he walked over the campus grounds. It was nowhere to be found which made him sigh in relieve.

He walked to the station and automatically entered the train to Shinagawa. In his vexation with Sebastian, he had nearly forgotten that he was supposed to meet Alois for dinner. He hastily got off his usual train and squeezed himself into the crowded one that would take him to Shibuya. With much effort, he managed to push an earphone in his left ear and pressed play. Even the lyrics of one of his favorites bands could not drag him away from his baleful future.

At the station, the crowd carried him out of the train. He struggled away from the mass and straightened his coat. With his head bend, he swayed through the crowd, hoping his presence would go unnoticed in the big mass of people. Before he entered the Belgian bistro Alois worked at, he looked to his left and right, suspicious of anyone who would look at him for too long. When he realized how skittish he had become in less than two days, he lectured himself to forget about Sebastian's fair warning and entered the busy restaurant.

Alois looked up from the tap and nodded to a corner. Ciel smiled and headed towards the reserved table. He placed an order for a bottle of Merlot and waited for his brother to join him. He reached into his satchel, intending to revise the part of his thesis he had written last week, but his eyes read the words without absorbing them, no matter how much he tried to focus. He gave up after twenty minutes and just sipped his wine, casually studying the eating crowd.

"Are you ready to order?"

His body jerked involuntarily and Ciel lifted his head to the waitress. She smiled heartily and apologized for startling him. Ciel shook his head and waved it away.

"That is quite alright. I am waiting for my brother actually. He should be done with his shift within minutes."

"You're Alois's older brother, right? He told me you were good looking but he has been selling you short." She stuffed the pen and notepad in her apron and held out her hand. "I am Fresia Doll."

"Stop barking up that tree, Doll, my brother is not into your type," Alois gently shoved her out of his way and sank down on the chair opposite Ciel in an extravagant manner. "We'd like to order the special menu; the trio, the Rossini steak and the chocolate dessert. Leave out the Granny Smith for me in the entree. My stomach cannot digest that."

Doll wrote down the orders, smiled at the two brothers and left. Alois poured himself a glass of wine and filled up Ciel's glass as well. "To better times," Alois raised his glass in the air. "Kampai."

Ciel raised an eyebrow at his brother while Alois took a large gulp of the liquid courage. Feeling not at ease with his older brother's look, Alois put the glass down. "Is there something wrong?"

"Thanks for outing me in such a blatant manner," Ciel mumbled and only now picked up his own glass and sipped the ruby red wine.

Alois raised a finger in the air. "You should thank me. Those are men hunting sharks," he pointed over his shoulder. "And they won't stop at anything if they find bait they like."

"Still," Ciel placed his glass on the wooden surface and moved it around in tiny circles. "It's not like the entire world needs to know my sexual preference."

"I'm sorry," Alois shrunk back in his chair and once again reminded Ciel of the fragile boy he used to be. This time it made his heart melt like it always did.

"Don't sweat it," he waved it away, "I know you were only trying to help. How was your day?"

Alois perked up like an exuberant puppy and didn't stop talking about his day until they had finished dessert and Ciel had ordered himself an espresso and Alois a raspberry flavored iced coffee. Ciel drank his warm beverage in silence, while Alois talked on about a French customer who had admired his blonde hair.

"You know we need to talk about what happened last weekend," Ciel interrupted him calmly. Alois's cheerful mood dialed down, his chatter got caught in his throat and stirred his drink with his straw.

"I know," he admitted. "And I already know what you are going to say. How could I be this stupid? Why didn't I invest my money wisely like you had told me? How did I get you dragged into such a dire situation. And make it worse by getting you into another debt?"

"I don't care that I am in such a situation, I can handle myself. You never should've been given the chance to get yourself into something like that in the first place."

"I can handle myself just fine," Alois retorted. "You don't always have to come and rescue me."

"You can't handle yourself, Alois. You're just a kid," Ciel replied wearily.

"I am not!" Alois cried out. "I am eighteen years old. I am not a child anymore!"

"Yes you are," Ciel shot back. "You are and you always will be. I am supposed to take care of you. When mother and father died, I became responsible for your well-being. You were only eleven-"

"I am not eleven anymore!"

Both men stopped bickering and looked at each other in silence. Ciel thought about what Sebastian had said to him at the pub and now even Alois pointed it out a second time that he was no longer a little kid anymore and could handle himself perfectly. Ciel once again started to wonder if his compulsive obsession to keep Alois away from the cruel world had been the most educated decision. That Ciel's need to hold on to that bit of innocence in his world had been the cause of this problem. The muscles in Alois's face relaxed and his frown disappeared gradually.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you."

"I'm sorry I never really prepared you for the real world." Ciel pressed his lips together and squinted, carefully picking the next words he was about to say. "I should've known it would have the opposite effect, you always were a stubborn little brat."

Alois snickered for a moment. "You were still young when mum and dad died. You tried your best."

"It wasn't good enough," Ciel concluded and threw his espresso back. "Do you care for something a little stronger?" He leaned back and lifted a hand to call over a waiter. "I would like a class of calvados. You in the mood for nightcap?"

Alois waved it away and shook his head. "No thanks, I good. I would like another raspberry coffee though, and a slice of the white chocolate cheesecake. And don't tell me we're out, Fred, I saw two boxes behind the counter only two hours ago," he handed his empty long drink glass to the waiter and turned his focus back to his older brother. Waiting for the right opportunity, he leaned forward and whispered. "Was it really that bad with Mister Michaelis?"

"You have no idea," Ciel groaned and quickly summoned the night he had spend in the company of Sebastian, leaving out certain crucial details he would never mention to anybody out loud.

"Seriously?" Alois blinked sheepish at him. "You have to go to the police and turn him in."

Ciel dragged his finger over the table and slowly shook his head. "If that had been an option, don't you think I would've already done that? He made it abundantly clear that the police force and the prime minister are in his pocket."

"You could go see uncle Midford's attorney. He will probably know what to do."

"And what is one attorney going to do against the prime minister of Japan?" Besides..." Ciel stopped in the middle of his sentence and reconsidered if it would be wise to tell Alois the suspicious circumstances surrounding their uncle.

"Besides what?" Alois pushed.

"He is not specialized in the laws about human trafficking," Ciel concluded and noticed the waiter coming back their way. "Let's just forget about Sebastian Michaelis all together and enjoy the remainder of our night."

"Here are your drinks," Fred placed the glasses and a plate with a large slice of cheesecake in front of them. "Your check has been paid with compliments of the gentleman at the bar."

"What?" Ciel felt an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach and sat up. "What gentleman?"

"Well," Fred straightened himself and reached out his neck. "There at the end of the bar. The gentleman in the black suit."

Ciel got up from his seat and instantly had to grab the table to keep himself from sinking through his knees. Noticing his brother's reaction, Alois sprung up from his seat and turned. His eyes met crimson ones and he now understood his brother's reaction.

"Is that really-" He began. Ciel interrupted him.

"It is," he growled low and charged forward.  
Sebastian turned the page on the manuscript he was reading. He slowly turned the balloon glass in his hand so that the caramel coloured cognac swirled around and released its intense flavour.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

He lifted a hand at Ciel, silently ordering him to be quiet until he had finished the paragraph he was reading. Ciel was less patient and slammed a hand down on the papers.

"Answer me!"

Sebastian tilted his head and looked at him past his nose. Lights of amusement glistened in his eyes.

"I came here to get some dinner. It is one of my favorite restaurants in this region. They serve excellent Rossini steak. I saw you and your brother sitting in the faroff corner and thought it only to be polite to pay for your dinner."

"Liar," Ciel hissed. "You followed me. You didn't get what you wanted so you followed me here."

Sebastian clacked his tongue and shook his head. "I don't skulk after my property like some creepy pervert. It is a pleasant coincidence that I happened to stumble upon the two of you having dinner at the same restaurant."

Ciel made a dismissive noise. "Wrong. You are by definition a skulking creepy pervert and this coincidence as you call it is anything but pleasant. I want you to stay the hell away from me and my brother is that clear?"

Sebastian's eyes slid over the shaking frame. He only seemed amused by the scene Ciel was making. That was the moment when Sebastian's expression changed so abruptly Ciel took a step back.

"You know that I am not inclined to grant you that request." He leaned in and Ciel felt his warm breath on his face. It was once more smokey mix of sweet expensive cognac and tobacco. "And test my limits one more time and you will feel the full extent of my wrath."

His voice was more arctic than Ciel had ever had before. When Sebastian leaned back Ciel could see that his eyes were crimson pits of devilish fire. It gave Ciel a frightful chill. He said nothing further, turned on his heels and walked back to his table.

"What happened?"

Ciel ignored Alois's question, grabbed his coat and satchel and told Alois to gather his things. "We're leaving."

"What about my cake?"

"I will get you some other cake. We need to leave, right now."

Ciel stormed out, not sparing Sebastian another look. He hauled a taxi and waited for Alois to come out. When his younger brother walked out together with Sebastian, Ciel leaped forward and grabbed Alois's by the arm. "What the hell are you doing?"

Alois winked. "I am solving this," he turned to Sebastian. "We will see you this Wednesday."

"Wednesday? What is happening on Wednesday?" Ciel hissed venomously.

Sebastian walked up to him, his face now restored with his usual mocking amusement. Ciel defensively positioned himself between Sebastian and Alois and frowned at him. "What?"

"I thank you for the lovely invitation. I will take care of the wine arrangements. See you Wednesday Phantomhive," he smiled handsomely, wished them a goodnight and strolled off, leaving Ciel completely puzzled. He whirled around on his heels and stared at his brother.

"What is happening this Wednesday."

Alois tilted his chin and smirked proudly. "I invited him over for dinner."

The words echoed through Ciel's head and he felt a surge of bile rise in his throat. He turned to the gutter and threw up his dinner. After, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. His head was pounding painfully and he still felt sick to his stomach, even if there was nothing left to throw up. He shakily put a hand on the hood of the taxi and turned to his younger brother. Alois's eyes were concerned and he swooped down to support his older brother.

"You did what?" Ciel felt the words leave his mouth and then just gave in to the overwhelming numbness. He heard Alois call his name and felt how he was tumbling to the pavement. He was completely lost in a nifty tangled web and had no way to get out of it anymore.


	4. IV

"Shit, Ciel." Alois swooped down and put a lot of effort into carefully guiding his older brother's numb body to the pavement. "Ciel wake up."

A tiny group of people had gathered around the two brothers but nobody bothered to help them. Alois took his coat off and stuffed it under Ciel's head before hoisting himself up. "Excuse me," he frantically knocked on the window of the taxi. "Could you please help me."

The driver opened the window just far enough for Alois to hear his response. "I don't drive drunks."

"He's not drunk, you miserable deviant. He fainted," Alois spat venomously. "Now drop the donut, get your lazy fat ass out of that car and help me get my brother into the back."

"Screw you stupid punk." Without closing the window, the driver took off and joined the long line of taxis.

"You're luckily I have to look out for my brother otherwise I would punch the snot out of you," Alois yelled while shaking his fists in the air. He then turned around on his heels and hissed at the crowd. "What the hell are you all looking at? Never saw a man who fainted."

People shook their heads at them and continued on their way. Alois threw his arms in the air and snorted aggressively. "That's right, just walk away like the bunch of fucking sensationalists you are." He swallowed hard, and nervously dragged his hands through his hair. "What have I done?"

Ciel slowly started to regain consciousness. He felt a throbbing pain above his left eye and the vague thumping sound he heard only made it worse. "Alois?"

"I'm here Ciel."

Ciel cracked his eyes open. His vision was still blurry so that when he struck out, he missed his younger brother by a mile. "Do me a favor and find me something I can throw at you, or come closer so that I can hit you over the head."

Alois wasn't paying attention anymore. He was staring at a point that was out of Ciel's sight. When Ciel turned his head to see, he saw familiar fancy leather shoes come his way. The person sank down next to him and Ciel felt a cool hand on his throbbing forehead.

"Can you please help us?" Alois pleaded.

Strong arms lifted Ciel off the pavement. He recognized the cologne and warm breath on his face. A sweet mix of overpriced cognac and tobacco. Ciel opened his mouth to protest. No sound came from his lips. Everything turned black in front of his eyes and all sounds and time stopped as he passed out again.

* * *

Ciel knew he was dreaming and he kept repeating this to himself. The darkness around his was suffocating, only interrupted by violent flashes that felt like memories. He heard his father's voice, his mother's voice. He called out to them but they did not hear. His mother screamed. A high pitched and bloodcurdling scream followed by a crashing sound that made his skin crawl. The car, followed by an explosion. He witnessed the accident and no matter how hard he ran, he couldn't get to them. An all consuming fire burned his parents alive. He could feel the heat the scorched their flesh.

"Mother! Father!"

He heard his own voice. It was shrill and thick with tears. A sudden force started to push him. He tried to resist but was powerless against it. With every inch, the heat became more intense until it almost felt as if the fire tongues that had turned his parents into ashes lapped at his skin. He screamed and kicked, calling out his brother's name. And then it was gone. The fire. The pain. The memory. Everything was sucked into a void and restored with that same darkness that pressed the air out of his lungs. He whirled around on his feet and saw a set of eyes peering at him from the shadows. They terrified him.

"Who are you? Speak your name!"

"Ciel," a voice responded.

He stumbled back. "Don't toy with me, you noxious beast. Speak your real name."

"Ciel. Ciel. Ciel," the voice demanded.

Ciel violently shook his head and covered his ears with his hands. "Stop lying!"

"Ciel. Ci-el!"

"Stop it!"

"Ciel!"

Something wet slapped him across the cheek. Ciel cracked his eyes open and breathed in deep, as if he were breathing for the first time. Alois exhaled relieved and patted his brother soothingly on the shoulder.

"You're alright."

"Alois. Where am I?"

"In bed."

"In whom's bed?"

Alois knitted his brows together. "Your own of course," he replied. "Whose bed were you supposed to be in?" He asked suspiciously.

"Nobody's," Ciel sat up and cupped his forehead. "What happened?" The minute he asked his brother that question, he knew the answer for himself. "You ignorant bird brain," he snatched up the pillow next to him and whacked Alois over the head with it. "Inviting Sebastian Michaelis over to our home. How could you be that stupid?"

"Just hear me out." Alois dodged the pillow Ciel threw at him and made hand gestures that were supposed to calm his older brother down.

"Hear you out? My nemesis. My sworn arch enemy. And you invite him over for tea and cookies?!" Ciel fumed.

"Well technically I invited him over for dinner," Alois dodged the second pillow by a whisker. "I assumed that if we talked your situation over like rational people, we might come to a more reasonable arrangement to pay off our debt back."

Ciel crossed his arms and reclined back against the wooden headboard of his bed. "That is impossible. Neither of you is either rational or reasonable." He peered around his own bedroom and frowned. "How ever did I get back home though?"

"Mister Michaelis offered us a ride." Alois winced under Ciel's aggravating bad temper.

"And where is the bastard right now?"

Alois raised a finger at Ciel's bedroom door. "He's in the living room."

Ciel pushed the duvet off him and tossed his legs out of bed. "I am going to give that man a piece of my mind," he grumbled as he stomped to the door. He yanked it open with such force that Sebastian looked up from the book he was reading. "You." Ciel snapped up an accusing finger. "How is it that every time you cross my path I end up passing out."

Sebastian carefully put the book down on the coffee table and took his glasses off, placing them inside the inner pocket of his suit jacket. "I'd say pheromones," he said with a most wicked smirk. "But a more educated guess would be that you have a minor alcohol problem," he concluded calmly and then reclined in the couch and spread his arms over the back.

Ciel was shaking from head to toe and his hands were clenched to fists alongside his body. "I do not have an alcohol problem you ruffian. The only problem I have is you."

Sebastian pulled a face. "Ruffian? That must have hurt you more than it did me." He crossed his legs in a nonchalant manner and scrutinized Ciel closely. "Are you feeling any better though?"

"That is none of your business." Ciel crossed the room and opened the front door wide. "And if you don't mind, I would like you to leave. Whatever dealings there are between us, I will not discuss them in front of Alois."

"Are you still that stubbornly protective over him. By the manner in which he acted tonight, I assume he knows more about making deals then you give him credit for."

"What he said."

Ciel's eyes shot across the room to his bedroom door. Alois stood in the opening, and for once he was not nervously fidgeting with his hands. He seemed determined to convince Ciel of another truth. "We are all civilized people here. Can we not solve it as such?"

"I doubt he knows the meaning of civilized," Ciel jerked his head towards Sebastian. "If he does, he rarely shows it."

"He did help me twice when I was in dire need, without asking anything in return."

"Because he already has what he wants in return," Ciel moaned. "Could you please stop interfering with my dealing with Sebastian. You're only making things more difficult."

Alois frowned. "From what you told me his repayment plan sounds a lot less horrifying than Claude's."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Ciel mumbled and leaned against the wall. His body was still fatigue from passing out like he had done.

"Then tell me about it." Alois exclaimed. "Tell me what he is asking from you. Just trust me enough for once to share such information with me so that I can help you."

Ciel gazed from Alois to Sebastian. He seemed highly entertained by the brotherly quarrel they were having. More so, by the shame he knew Ciel felt about the terms of their agreement. Ciel then looked back at his brother and knew he had no other options then to give in.

"Alright. We can have dinner here Wednesday to talk things through." He rubbed the skin over his left eye that was throbbing painfully again.

"Splendid," Sebastian got up with a type of grace only he could pull off. "Shall we say around eight?"

"Whatever. Could you please leave now?" Ciel gestured into the empty hallway. "I still have work to do for tomorrow."

"Of course. I would not want to keep you." Sebastian bowed his head in a sophisticated manner while bidding Alois a good night. In passing, he smirked most handsomely at Ciel and briefly touched his shoulder with his long fingers. "See you then, kid. I am looking forward to it."

"I'm not," Ciel replied blatantly and slammed the door shut behind Sebastian. Pushing his back against it, he groaned audibly, completely vexed by a set of new worries. From the bedroom door Alois beamed at him in a smug manner.

"I am positive it will all work out just fine," he chirped happily and he nearly skipped to the couch, flopped down onto the soft leather and switch through the different channels until he came across an anime show he liked. Ciel stomped over, told Alois to go and do his homework and snatched the remote control out of his younger brother's hands.

"But Ci-el," Alois whined. "It was an episode of Soul Eater I had not seen yet."

"I don't care. Go do your homework and get some sleep after. It's a school night."

"Alright, mom." Alois emphasized the word while getting to his feet, stomped off and hissed something Ciel could not make out before slamming his door.

Ciel switched to the NNN and listened to the latest news while grating student papers. He did the dishes Alois failed to do and stuffed the dirty clothes into the washer. When he dug up the suit he had worn Saturday night, a overwhelming familiar fragrance reached his nostrils. He buried his nose into the suit jacket for a brief moment, and then he was so disgusted by himself that he violently shoved all the laundry into the machine and turned it on.

He took a long shower, but the scent of tobacco and cognac refused to leave his slate hair. So he shampooed it another time, and another, until he was almost certain he could not smell the addictive mix anymore.

He set his alarm clock, rolled onto his duvet and listened to 'Simon and Garfunkel's 'the Boxer' until he fell into dreamless sleep.

* * *

Tuesday flew by in a mist of repressed anger and ineffective denial. Ciel's mind was unconsciously cautious of every tall shadow and any big moving object. He taught his classes, worked on his thesis and took the half past four o'clock train to Shibuya. Alois had cleverly entrapped him to go shopping with him. He complained that he had no decent winter coat and the money he had left he had to spend on college. He knew his older brother would never give him the lenience to secretly spend money on things he did not really need.

As he had suspected Ciel was not only dragged to several expensive clothing stores, they also made a detour to an antique shop where Alois insisted on getting a teacup that cost over seventeen-thousand yen. When Ciel refused, Alois pleaded that it was this cup was the last one he needed to complete the tea set that had been their mother's favorite. This hit a raw nerve. They left the store with that particular cup and several other items Alois claimed he needed.

On Wednesday, the hours Ciel spend awake and aware of the pending dinner, he was in such a bad mood that even his fellow English linguistic students wondered what was bothering him. He avoided there well-meant questions with a gruff reply that he was fine, and that he was only nurturing a terrible headache.

Upon returning home he found that Alois had already started the preparations of tonights' dinner. It was on rare occasions that Alois enjoyed cooking at home. Being a first year student at the most prestige culinary academy of Japan he could seldomly be bothered to cook in his free time.

"You just do what you need to do," he said to him over a pot of boiling water. "I arranged this dinner. You won't have to lift a finger."

"I wasn't planning to," Ciel replied dryly and leaned over the breakfast bar to get a look at what Alois was preparing. The wild variety of ingredients did not give him any clue. He reached out and snatched a freshly baked cookie of the oven tray and jumped back to dodge the spatula Alois waved at him. He smirked cheeky and retreated himself to the bathroom to get a shower.

For a long time Ciel just stood with his face heaved to the showerhead. The warm water thundered down his face and trickled down his body. No amount of water could wash away the bad taste of tonights' dinner and with every passing minute he realized just how wrong the entire situation was. For a split second he considered going to the police. Perhaps Sebastian had lied about his annual Christmas parties and he stood to lose a lot if his sinister ways became public which gave him both a reason to speak the truth and lie about it. Then again, if he choose to go and Sebastian was speaking the truth, he would make a fool out of himself and the world did not suffer fools gladly. Ciel groaned at his self-destructive thoughts. "This is going to be a long night," he sighed.

In his mind Ciel told himself he paid no attention to his clothes. When he came out of his bedroom, Alois complimented him on his smart look. He told his younger brother to stuff it and stomped to the couch to watch the news. In corner of his eye he noticed soft candlelight and he scoffed Alois for setting a completely wrong mood.

"You're giving him the wrong idea. It is a formal business dinner. Not one of those candlelight suppers," he blew out the candles with one puff. "I have no intention of making him feel welcome."

Alois crossed his arms. "You're acting so passive aggressive. The man is coming over to listen to other proposals. If you're treating him like an inmate that broke loose from a prison, he might not be very receptive to other types of arrangements."

"If by prison you mean a psychiatric facility for the criminally insane," Ciel commented snarky as he dismantled the table further by placing the flower centerpiece back in its original place on the coffee table. "He is not staying a minute longer than he has to."

Alois rolled his eyes at him from the kitchen. "Have you no knowledge of social conventions?"

"I do," Ciel sat down on the couch and turned on the television. "In fact, mom taught me a lot of etiquette rules, none of which apply to Sebastian Michaelis," he concluded and reclined lazily in his seat.

Alois tossed his hands in the air. "You are helpless mister," he lectured and instantly jumped and shrieked shrill when the doorbell rang. With wide-set eyes he admonished Ciel to get the door. He refused, which drove Alois into a frenzy. Ciel finally got up and headed to the door when he saw Alois was close to tears. He opened it and found someone else standing on his doorstep. He leaned casually against the wooden framing and jerked his head at the person.

"What do you want?"

"Ciel!" Alois called perplexed. "Mind you manners."

"Calm down Alois, it's only Spears."

"William?" Alois dropped his knife and walked over. "What are you doing here? Did you invite him over Ciel? You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Alois hissed venomously.

William cleared his throat. "Nothing of that sorts I can assure you Alois. Your brother called me yesterday with some questions about your parents' last will and testament."

"And you forgot how a phone works?" Ciel interjected sharply. "I don't have time nor the energy to talk about those matters right now. How about I swing by your office oh, let's say this Friday around four in the afternoon?"

"I looked through all the legal papers in your and your uncle's file" William continued as if Ciel had said anything, "and I am certain that you have grounded reason to be suspicious."

"Not now," Ciel hissed, pushed William into the hallway and closed the door behind him. "Alois must not know that I plan to investigate our parents' testament and the possible allegations surrounding our uncle."

William raised an uninterested eyebrow at him. "Forgive me. I was not informed about that," he said, not even putting any effort into sounding sincere. He retrieved his BlackBerry from his coat pocket and punched some buttons. "You said Friday at four? I think I can squeeze you in somewhere."

"Great," Ciel lied and dragged a hand through his hair. "By the way. You kept this under wraps like I asked you, right?"

William stopped entering information into his phone and peered down on him. "I assure you that everything between us will be handled with the same care and secrecy I do my other clients. Did you assume differently?"

"No. No." Ciel shook his head. "It's just because Mr. Anderson is usually my notary. Wouldn't he find it peculiar if I showed up to an appointment that is not with him but with you."

William cocked his head and thought about it for a second. "I see how that might make matters look out of the ordinary. If you prefer to meet elsewhere I would not object to that."

"Good," Ciel sighed relieved. "I will-" he stopped in the middle of his sentence when he heard that the elevator had arrived. His eyes automatically slid to the doors and he felt how his heart leap into his throat when Sebastian stepped out, dressed to the tee and a wooden wine case. His eyes landed on the pair and Ciel thought he could see something diabolic flicker through the crimson eyes as he took in William. It was only for one second and then it was gone. A handsome curled his lips as he walked up to them.

"Good evening both," he nodded to William before turning his attention to Ciel. "I must apologize for my tardiness. I was held up at the office."

Ciel shrugged. "Whatever," he mumbled and turned his attention back to William. "I will inform you about the exact time and address tomorrow."

"You have my number." William pulled a business card out of his pocket anyway. Ciel received it with an overenthusiastic smile and ensured to call him as soon as possible. William did not comment on that, gave both men a short nod and walked to the elevator. Ciel and Sebastian watched him enter. Sebastian then turned himself to Ciel with a mysterious look in his eyes.

"Who was that."

"None of your business," Ciel opened the door and nodded to the doorway. "Come in."

Alois greeted Sebastian in such an exuberant manner that Ciel knew he was quaking with anxiety. He and Sebastian exchanged small pleasantries and Alois was lyric about the selection of wines Sebastian had brought with him.

* * *

The evening progressed rather smoothly. Alois did most of the talking. It was mainly about things that hardly interested his conversation partners but he did not seem to care. Ciel could only smile about. He saw a lot of his mother in his younger brother and that alone was enough for him to not start an argument. By the time they were supposed to talk about other proposals, Alois already had three wine and had forgotten about the initial reason of the dinner.

"I think I'm best off to bed," he announced and clumsily got to his feet.

"Are you alright to get there on your own?"

"Sure, sure," he slurred and waved frantically with his hands. "Just stay and have fun," he wandered to the other end of the room, nearly knocking over a lamp on his way. He giggled like a little girl and stood there looking at the lamp and wobbling on his legs.

Ciel got up and helped Alois to his room and into bed. When he returned Sebastian was standing display case at the other end of the room. He briefly turned to look over his shoulder and then turned his attention back to the display.

"This is an exquisite tea set. You have rarefied taste Phantomhive."

Ciel dropped down on the couch and tossed his head back. "Why would you automatically assume it is mine?"

"It is not?"

"No. It was my mother's and now it is Alois's," Ciel explained and closed his eyes. "I don't care for such useless trinkets but Alois seems extremely attached to it. Yesterday he made me buy the last cup he needed to complete it. Which sane person would spend nearly twenty-thousand yen on a teacup?"

"Many people collect and appreciate antique tea sets. Tea that is brewed properly can taste like perfection once sipped out of an authentic English set."

"Whether you drink it from a mug or a cup, it's all the same to me, just coloured water."

"Then I assume you have never experienced tea properly," Sebastian concluded and whipped around. "I would like to buy this set from you."

Ciel gave the display a quickly look up and down and then shook his head. "No. That set is not for sale."

"Not even if it would even out your debt to me?"

Ciel pondered about that for a moment. It seemed too good to be true, but he could only imagine the look on Alois's face should he wake up in the morning and found the set was missing. A vague childhood memory passed through his mind and he could almost feel the joy his mother had felt when his father gave her the very first piece of the set on a cold Christmas morning. He remembered her smile and every sane reasoning was pushed to the back of his mind and forgotten. Ciel shook his head with and looked up at Sebastian with a melancholic smile.

"I cannot put a price on that set. It is priceless."

Sebastian tilted his head and peered at him through his lashes. He then shook his head and chuckled. "Love. It is such a peculiar emotion. You measure your future with something you do not care for. I could almost respect you if it was not such folly to tie memories to trinkets."

"With that black void where your heart was supposed to be I am not the least bit surprised that you know nothing about love or relationships," Ciel hissed.

"It is so typical that people automatically link love with a relationship," Sebastian replied calmly.

"I don't care to hear your thoughts on that," Ciel quipped blatantly and got up to pour himself another glass of wine. "You want some more?"

"Please."

Ciel walked back to the couch and set the empty glasses and the bottle of Sauvignon down. Sebastian took the seat next to him, his eyes following every move Ciel made.

"Here," Ciel handed Sebastian his glass and shoveled back in his seat, sipping from the overfull glass.

"Have you ever thought about that ridiculous assumption about love?"

"Seriously?" Ciel exclaimed. "I had hoped the glass of wine would shut you up. What response of mine would lead to a speedy conclusion on your part?"

"You could kiss me," Sebastian smirked handsomely.

Ciel pressed his lips together and scrutinized Sebastian for a few seconds. "Keep dreaming. I'd rather listen to your relationship theory," he scoffed and reclined in his seat and took a large gulp of wine. "So pray tell. I'll pretend to be interested."

Sebastian turned his way and propped his cheek up to his knuckles. "I had no notion that we were already in a relationship."

"How do you figure?"

"By the course this conversation is taking. Me talking and you pretending to give a damn."

"That is not a relationship."

"Then what type of behaviour do you associate with a relationship?"

"I don't know," Ciel hesitated. "Love and caring for each other. Making sure to see after the needs of your significant other. Always have someone to talk to. Someone that..." He swallowed the next set of words he was about to say.

"I assume you have friends to talk to, and which want to act in your best interest and who care for you," Sebastian replied. "Are you in a relationship with all your friends?"

"Of course not. I don't sleep with my friends."

"So you think a relationship is about sex?" Sebastian wiggled his eyebrows. "Sounds familiar."

"You are putting words in my mouth," Ciel snapped.

"I can put something else in your mouth if you wish."

Ciel could not help but laugh about the way he said this. "Just tell me about your relationship theory so that we can close this topic."

Sebastian leaned back and took a sip of wine. Ciel saw how he closed his eyes and seemed to savour the crips elegant taste. In the setting of his own home, Sebastian did not seem that threatening anymore. With his navy tie hanging loosely around his neck and the sleeves of his white dress shirt rolled up. For a second Sebastian seemed to be in another place and Ciel noticed how much he would like to join him. He then blamed his bizarre thoughts on the wine and promised himself not to drink too much anymore. And he forgot about it all together when Sebastian started talking.

"I don't see how love has anything to do with a relationship, and moreover, what the value of a relationship is. It always seemed more like a business deal, only one both parties don't really profit from. You share your assets, provide safety and you always have someone hanging around to talk to. It seems like something common people do when they both don't make enough money to get by on their own. And as the years pass, you grow weary of each other, and eventually you will grow weary, but you just keep on going because it is there and you never really learned how to do it any different."

"That is the worst hogwash theory I ever heard."

"How so?"

"Because," Ciel shut his mouth and thought about it for a second. "Because rich people get married too. Each could easily get by on their own."

"True, but when you are rich, it's easier to leave each other again. Both split assets and you move on to something different," Sebastian reasoned.

Ciel shook his head, and sipped his wine. "You only say that because you are afraid to admit you are so scared of falling in love and committing yourself to one person that you make up this entire bullshit reason why relationships are just bourgeois reason for lonely people to feel like they belong and be stuck because it is a common assumption that people are meant to be married."

"If you draw that conclusion from what I just told you, I won't argue."

Ciel waved his hand and gulped down the remains in his glass. "Drop the sophistication. It is distracting."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"I don't think I want to tell you why," Ciel mumbled. He felt how Sebastian's crimson eyes examined him and a blush of shame coloured his cheeks. He closed his eyes and breathed in, hoping that whatever would come would feel as good as it had done last time and that it would not wake Alois.

"Would you mind if I smoked?"

Ciel felt the weight beside him shift and then disappear all together. His eyes lashed open. Sebastian was peering down on him, holding a package of Lucky Strikes in his hands. "Would you?"

"N-No." Ciel shook his head. "You can open that window."

"Thank you." Sebastian smiled and leaned down. "Would you like to try one of my most treasured wines?"

The allure in his voice was so tempting that Ciel could only nod in an obeying manner. He felt that strange feeling of submission like he had felt back the first night they met.

"Where are your red wine glasses?"

"Second cupboard."

Ciel watched him walk to the kitchen. He heard the lid of the the wooden box open and close. How the cork popped and the wine churned while being poured into the glasses. Sebastian returned and handed Ciel a glass with a look of satisfaction in his eyes. "Don't gulp it down like you did the Sauvignon."

"In your company one needs a fair amount of wine to keep up the act of being remotely interested in anything you have to say."

"You're such a horrible liar. I saw that dreamy look in your eyes just now," Sebastian passed the couch and headed to the window.

"I did not have a dreamy look in my eyes," he hissed and turned to look over the back of the couch. "I must be all that cologne you are wearing. It's almost like a small chemical gas cloud and it makes my eyes tear up."

Sebastian opened the window, popped a cigarette between his lips and breathed in deep. "You can keep on pretending Ciel. If you were in such a dire need to get out of your depth like you say you are, you would not have hesitated for a second and you would've sold me that tea set just to rid yourself off me."

Ciel got to his feet. "That tea set means something. It has much greater value than that stupid depth of yours. It holds fond memories." He stood in front of Sebastian and waved a finger at him. "It ties us to the things we lost."

Sebastian bend down and made Ciel's knees buckle with a mix scent of tobacco and Cabernet Sauvignon.

"Trinkets of loved ones that passed do not hold any memories. Those are and will remain within yourself, not within any tea cup or picture. As long as you remember them, nothing will erase what once was."

Ciel squinted at Sebastian. "For once you did not sound like a complete tool. Is there more to you than I give you very little credit for? Does Sebastian Michaelis have a secret fond memory he does not wish to share."

"I do. And it is a very fond memory indeed. One that I will keep on reliving for a very long time."

Ciel leaned in a little further and looked up at Sebastian from below. "Would you care to share it with me?"

"I will, someday." Sebastian licked his lips. "For now, I am going to bid you a good night."

"Pardon?" Ciel was so surprised by his response that it rendered him speechless for a moment. "You are leaving?"

"That was the idea," Sebastian expertly tossed his cigarette out the window and drank the last bit of his red wine. "I have to get up early tomorrow and you are in no state to consent to anything other than your own bed."

Ciel stood by the window blinking while Sebastian gathered his suit jacket and coat. "Don't look so bothered my little pet. I will see to your needs again soon."

"You are actually leaving? Just like that?"

Sebastian opened the front door and turned to him. "Just like that. I already told you once before. I do not find any pleasure in taking advantage of a drunk person. Delayed gratification is so much sweeter. You should lock the door behind me. You would not want any dangerous people to get inside."

"There are already dangerous inside." On his way to the door Ciel set his glass down on the coffee table.

"I will contact you soon." Sebastian hesitated and looked down in Ciel's cobalt eyes. "What day are you supposed to meet that other guy?"

Ciel smirked. "Sebastian. Did I just detect a hint of jealousy in your voice?"

"When it comes to property, I always want to know how it is doing, where it is going and with whom," Sebastian responded unaffected and he bend down until his face was close to Ciel's. "I hope that you understand that for future references."

"Aye aye Captain." Ciel saluted him sarcastically. Sebastian rolled his eyes, told him to never do that anymore and kept Ciel from commenting by kissing him. Ciel willingly opened his mouth and could only conclude that he enjoyed it at some level. He enjoyed it so much that his entire body responded to the rough kiss and he pressed himself against Sebastian to give himself more gratification. When Sebastian pulled away, he was about to protest. Sebastian cupped Ciel's chin and tilted his head back so he could look him in the eye.

"Soon," he murmured. "I want you to be on the edge of insanity."

"I am," Ciel moaned and dug his fingers in the fabric of Sebastian's vest. "I feel like I am going insane."

Sebastian chuckled low and shook his head. "Not yet, Ciel." He breathed, his voice thick with desire. "You will know when the moment is there." He stepped back from Ciel and into the hallway.

"Sebastian please," Ciel pleaded. He was so lost in arousal that he shed every sense of dignity and self respect. He wanted Sebastian as much as he had done that night he had been satisfied in a way nobody else every could.

"No." Sebastian said firm, and he walked to the elevator and summoned it. It arrived within seconds. Ciel pleaded once more and all Sebastian told him before the doors closed was to lock the door.

"Son of a-" Ciel slammed the door shut and pushed his back against it. All the times Ciel wanted nothing to do with Sebastian, Sebastian had his hand down the front of pants to leave Ciel his business card and the moment Ciel willingly gives in, he walks away. It wouldn't take long for his frustration to hit the ceiling.

Vexed by Sebastian's cock blocking, his pining need for a man he should loathe and the overall situation, Ciel stomped to his bedroom without bothering to clean up. He flopped down on his bed and groaned into his pillow. His erection was throbbing desperately but Ciel decided he was too mad to give into the temptation. He rolled over on his back and peered aggravated at the ceiling. After some time, when sleep continued to allude him, he gave up and undid his pants. He tried not to think of Sebastian as he jerked himself off, but the second he came, the name rolled over his tongue in such dire need that it almost felt as if he needed him as much as he needed to breathe.

"Fuck," he grumbled and buried his face in his cushion. The more he tried to resist, the stronger his need to feel Sebastian's gratification grew. He was on a path to become hopelessly addicted to the person that enslaved him like a piece of property and the saddest thing he had to conclude was that the idea of it was already starting to grow on him.


	5. V

The rest of the workweek passed uneventful. Ciel taught his classes, grated papers and worked on his thesis both at campus and at home. It was almost like nothing had happened. That his life had gone back to how it had been before he agreed to settle Alois's debt, and was forced to make a deal with the devil. That perhaps it had really been nothing more but a horrible dream.

Sebastian did not seek out contact, which both rejoiced and alarmed Ciel. He could never be sure when he would rear his ugly head. Furthermore, Claude's ominous words that he might come back to claim what he deemed his presented another critical problem that kept him up for a large portion of the night. This made him skittish and suspicious of every person who looked at him longer then he'd liked to.

By Friday he was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open during his class on advanced English theoretical linguistics. Today they discussed the chapters on the functional theories of grammar they would have to study for their test at the start of the new semester. It was such a tedious subject that even Professor Arden, a man who was known for his lively and enthralling lectures, had trouble keeping his students focused.

Even with his best efforts Ciel could not keep himself from inevitably necessary shut eye. He dozed off every five minutes and would automatically wake up after ten seconds, or jolted awake whenever his classmate next to him would nudge his ribs with his elbow. After an excruciatingly long hour, the professor told them they were free to go. Ciel slowly rose to his feet and started gathering and packing his belongings.

"What's going on with you?"

Ciel looked up. His classmate was arching one of his thick brown eyebrows at him. Arthur Wordsmith was one of the few people he had gotten acquainted with during his years at the university. Most of his classmates shunned him from day one, afraid their lives would be at stack if they befriended the offspring of the infamous house of Phantomhive. Arthur had addressed him on their first day, and had blatantly asked him about the risks of socializing with him. Ciel had stared blankly at him for a moment, rendered silent by his bluntness. After he had stammered a soft no, Arthur had introduced himself and had sat down with him. Their mutual understanding and acceptance of the other's flaws and quirks had become a fact and eventually had led to their friendship.

"It's nothing," Ciel closed his satchel and snatched his coat of the back of his seat. "Just a bit tired, that is all, like every other who is forced to listen to such a monotonous lecture on dull grammar functionalities."

Arthur scrutinized him sharply, his lips pressed together to a thin colorless stripe and dark eyes narrowed to mere slits. "That is not it. Something else is going on. I am sure of it. You have been out of it all week. Did something happen over the weekend?"

Ciel's shoulders shocked unwillingly, and the blood was drained from his face. It was obvious Arthur had noticed the change in his demeanor. His physical reaction was the only honest answer Ciel was willing to give about his weekend. Everything else he had to fabricate to save both his face and pride. "No. Everything is fine. I am just struggling with some parts of my thesis."

"You're lying," Arthur concluded flatly. "You always were a bad liar, Ciel. Just tell me what is going on. Perhaps I can help you."

"Nothing is the matter, really." Ciel put on a fake smile to try and proof Arthur wrong.

"Are you sure about that? Because you have been tiptoeing around the campus like an anxious baby deer that is afraid of its own shadow."

Ciel set his jaw. Arthur's power of observation and his unwavering persistency could sometimes be quite bothersome, even if he was only trying to help. "It's a family thing," Ciel admitted. For all intents and purposes, leaving out his ridiculous arrangement with Sebastian, it really was a family thing. "But it is nothing that I cannot handle. Thank you for offering your help though."

Arthur squinted, and he seemed to be weighing that explanation. He finally gave up and gently bumped Ciel's shoulder with a clenched fist. "When you are ready to talk about I'm there for you. Alright?"

"I know." Ciel nodded with a smile. "And thank you for that."

"Don't mention it," Arthur waved it away and nodded to the bottom of the auditorium. "We'd better get a move and hurry to the cafeteria before they run out of the good sandwiches again. I'm really not in the mood for rice and fish today."

Ciel followed his friend down the steps. By now the auditorium had been cleared shy from the two of them and Professor Arden who was gathering his materials. The two friends walked to the door, talking and making a joke at expense of one of their fellow classmates when the professor put a stop to their conversation by calling Ciel's name. The two turned back to their tutor.

"May I have a word with you mister Phantomhive. Alone," he emphasized.

Arthur frowned at his friend. Ciel shrugged his shoulders and asked Arthur to save him an egg salad sandwich and a bag of crisps. He then left, leaving Ciel alone with Professor Arden. He turned towards his tutor. The professor was leaning against his desk, arms crossed over his chest. He beckoned his student to come over, and Ciel did as asked without question.

"I noticed that you weren't all together present today."

Ciel bit his bottom lip and rolled his eyes to the floor. "Yes. I've had a rough couple of nights," he explained simply, and combed his fingers through his slate locks. The professor dragged his thumb over his bottom lip and seemed to think about it for a second. He then straightened himself and covered the distance between him and Ciel until he was looming over him.

"If there is anything I can do to ease your burden, let me know."

You can lend me eighty million Yen. Ciel thought, and involuntarily smirked at the ridiculous idea.

"I am glad to see you can smile about it," the professor breathed and stepped closer. "I do hate to see a frown on your face."

Ciel tilted his head and looked up in the professor's brown eyes. They were warm and kind, but something about them made Ciel feel uncomfortable. There was something there, a type of glimmer. One that he had seen before in Sebastian's crimson eyes the night Ciel had spend at his place.

It had never before occurred to Ciel, but it had always been the way his professor had looked at him. With a type of ungrounded curiosity and overly attentiveness that had struck him as odd, but not unusual. Now that he had been enforced to become more aware of his surroundings, the great kindness extended to him by his professor now became unheard-of.

Stolen glances. A gentle hand on the shoulder. The leniency of granting some auxiliary time on homework assignments where others were not. It seemed so blatantly circumstantial but inevitably seemed to unravel into something with a deeper hidden intention then a certain type of fondness or weak spot. Ciel concluded that he had always turned a blind eye to the obvious signs, thinking it was nothing more than a student and mentor relationship. Even when Arthur had pointed out the peculiar precedence treatment Ciel got from their senior, he turned a deaf ear to his friends words. He took a step back and tried not to stutter.

"I am not entirely certain what you mean by that."

Professor Arden smiled at this. "I think it is fairly easy to notice what that implies. That I wish to see my students trust me enough to come to me should they be in any sort of trouble. Especially those that are near to my heart."

Ciel swallowed audibly. "It is nothing that I cannot handle professor Arden."

"Call me Derek."

"I'd rather not."

Derek tilted his head and put his hands on his hips. "Your manner of speaking. It is almost as if you fear me," he took another step towards Ciel. "Is this true?"

Ciel was rendered speechless. It was an accurate observation, but he was not sure if his own reasoning about the odd circumstances was fully grounded or if it was all embedded in his head due to recent events involving Sebastian and Claude. Perhaps his skittish mind was set to see perverts everywhere, and even turned a concerned professor into a sexual predator. It all seemed too preposterous, and the thought that all of the sudden men from every corner of his life started to show a certain type of interest made him uneasy with the arrogant notion of the idea. Like he was that big of a catch.

Ciel felt how the silence made the tension between them all the more real. It hung over them like a hovering tangible cloud of unspoken words. Ciel could only guess that if he did not act and speak up soon, he might find himself in a situation he did not wish to be in with his professor. He was torn between his own suspicion and the curious strain between them. He only did not know how to get out of this in an eloquent manner that would leave no harsh feelings between the two, and due to that uncertainty, he did not wish to make a public disgrace of himself should he have miscalculated his professor's intentions.

Even before he could speak up, his phone started to vibrate in his jeans pocket and the dull ringtone echoed through the empty auditorium. Ciel smiled awkwardly as he fished the mobile from his pocket. He had never been more happy to get interrupted. He excused himself and picked up.

"William. I am very glad to hear from you. Yes, we are still meeting this afternoon. Oh that's right, I completely forgot to inform you about that. Do you know of ladies & gentlemen, the bistro cafe at the third floor of Isetan department store? Yes in Shinjuku, and I apologize that it is out of your way, but considering the circumstances of our meeting this seems a more private place to meet. Alright, I will meet you there in two hours." Ciel hung up and shoved the phone back into his pants pocket. "Sorry about that," he smiled innocently at his professor.

Derek cocked his head and frowned at Ciel. "A more private place to meet," he repeated. "Was that a friend or perhaps someone a bit closer to you?"

Initially, Ciel felt like he was not obligated to answer that question about his personal life, but seizing the opportunity to get out of this dire situation without stepping on anybodies toes was to good to be left unseized.

"Indeed. It was someone who is closer to my heart. William is my boyfriend. We have been dating for some time now," he lied through his teeth. "But due to prejudice from family on both parts, we do not wish to flaunt our affair publically and prefer to meet in secret."

The professor inhaled deep and nodded with a low hum. "That is very unfortunate for you, and I can see how such prejudice would have affected some of your school work. It must be an absolute dread to have to skulk around when I assume you wish nothing more than to be able to show your affection in public." He stopped and picked his next words carefully. "Should there ever be a change in your circumstances, I would be very much delighted to be informed on them. For now, I wish you the best of luck, for the both of you."

Ciel nodded and mumbled an empty thank you before excusing himself and walking away from what must have been the most uncomfortable moment he had spend with one of his professors. Even director Randall questioning him about his dealings with Sebastian had been less awkward than these mere moments that seemed to last endlessly.

* * *

He sat through lunch with Arthur, not speaking a word of his private audience with Professor Arden. By the looks of him, Arthur probably knew better than to conduct an inquiry about it and made light conversation about Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami, a book Ciel himself had advised him to read.

At a quarter to three, Ciel left the campus and took the train to Shinjuku. As always, the station was buzzing with herds of people, variating from sharp looking businessmen and neatly dressed ladies, to cliques of students from the nearby colleges and universities to groups of colorful tourists.

Ciel quickly pushed his way through the crowd, intending to pass a bookstore in the underground mall before he took the Marunouchi line to sanchōme. He buys several books by writers such as Yoko Ogawa and Hiromi Kawakami, and clutched the paper bag to his chest while riding the metro to his destination.

He arrived at the cafe at a quarter to four. William had not made an appearance yet. Ciel sat down on one of the comfortable black leather chesterfield like sofas and ordered a cup of coffee. He awaited William's arrival impatiently, frequently checking his watch and nervously unwrapping his new books and stuffing them back into their brown paper packaging.

William arrived precisely on time, not one minute early or one minute late. He strode into the cafe at four, and took an instant notice of Ciel's presence. He nodded to the maître d' and ordered himself a black coffee before sitting down opposite his client in a black arm chair. Ciel felt it would only be just to explain why he had failed to call and inform them of the exact time and location.

"Forgive me my forgetfulness. I had meant to call you-"

William raised a hand, palm out, and opened his leather briefcase. "There is no need for you to explain yourself Ciel. It was not really relevant who called who. Matter of the fact is that we have made an appointment and are now here to discuss my findings."

"Yes." Ciel nodded and briefly licked his lips. William's specific matter mindedness was efficient and strangely attractive on the stoic looking brunette.

"I have here sealed documents that were stowed away in your uncle's files. By the manner of which Anderson had secured them I am pretty sure he never intended for you, me or anyone else to find them. Or perhaps that was in order of Mister Midford."

"With all due respect, Mister Anderson was my father's notary first. He should have discussed all the files that regarded my father's assets, wills and testaments with me."

William shoved his already snug glasses further up the bridge of his slim nose. "You do not have to show respect in this matter. As far as I can tell Mister Anderson and your uncle locked those files with the intention of never informing you." He untied the crimson red ribbon on the white paper file he had retrieved from his case and opened it. William turned the file towards Ciel and tapped on the papers. "You can see here that all rights and deeds have gone to your uncle, leaving you and your brother with only the trust funds Vincent had set up for you and which Mister Midford could not touch. I can assure you that was not without lack of trying. Your uncle is a very greedy man."

Ciel picked up the paper and came across legal terms, company names and stocks abbreviations he had never seen before in his life. But there was one thing he easily recognized and that was consistent through all the papers. His uncle was sole owner of everything. He looked up at William and swallowed while he searched for the right words to speak his disdain. "Surely there must be a mistake."

William shook his head. "No, I am certain there were no mistakes, only foul play. If I may?" He reached for the paper. Ciel shoved them his way, and William turned to the first page and tapped on the first paragraph. "It states here that you waved all your rights as the rightful heir of your fathers earthly belongings."

"I never did no such thing." Ciel shook his head vigorously. "No. I only wished to not follow in his footsteps as head of the organization he was running. He would never have given everything he owned to my uncle, I can assure you of that. He only instated him as sole administrator, which, according to my knowledge, does not make him the owner of any of my father's assets."

"You are most correct about that which is why I dug deeper into the files." William retrieved another file from his briefcase. The seal, provided with the Phantomhive crest, had not been broken. Ciel let his fingers slide over the crest. It had been so long since he had seen it. If he would be honest with himself he was not even sure where it was that he last saw the noble weapon of his family. William untied the deep blue ribbon. Ciel noticed how the color was similar to his family's heirloom and he automatically reached for the ring around his thumb. "This is a file my boss, Mister Anderson, has spend a great deal trying to conceal, ordered by your uncle. It took some time finding it, but once I recovered the Latin words on your family's crest, I could follow the path that lead to this. This file is the key that will ultimately lead to your father's true last will and testament. This other testament is a mere fabrication of your uncle's wicked nature, the autograph falsified by which I can only assume it must have been Mister Anderson or Mister Midford."

"Have you opened what you assume to be the real one?"

"No." William shook his head and readjusted his glasses again. "I have not. I thought it would only be just for you to open it yourself first."

Ciel took the parchment coloured file and pressed it against his lips for a moment. He thought about what Sebastian had told him the night they met. "So it is true. He was actually speaking the truth about this."

"Who was Ciel?"

"That is not important." Ciel placed the file in front of him and flanked it with both hands. "How could Mister Anderson commit such cruel and vile acts? He was my father's notary. Not even to speak of my uncle. Such maliciousness and greed. He was my father's trustee, and his sister's husband. How could he have such little faith in me? I would have given him all he needed."

"The unlimited riches of your father were a great motivation no doubt." William picked up his coffee, blew some steam away and sipped. "Money has always been a reason for gruesome acts throughout history. You will not be the first who is betrayed by a close family member, nor will you be the last. Especially in the world your father circulated. It was about taking what you could regardless of the effect it may have on others."

"Still." Ciel swallowed. "He is my uncle," he concluded once more. After a moment of silence, his trembling fingers broke the seal, untied the ribbon and he opened the file. It was one single parchment page with a short message, and it was addressed to the rightful heirs of the Phantomhive legacy. Ciel stared at words he did not understand. "I think it is Latin."

William examined him over the rim of his glasses. "I do speak some Latin."

"Then by all means," Ciel turned the file around. "Read the lines for me and tell me what they mean."

William's hand briefly touched Ciel's as he reached for the file. Instead of reading to lines out loud, he closed it and pushed it back towards its rightful owner. "I will not read this. I believe that your good faith in the firm I work for has been damaged greatly. In order for you to understand that you can completely trust me, I want you to find out for yourself what it means and search for your father's will in secrecy. Should you need my assistance to verify the documents after you collected them, I am fully at your service."

Ciel was rendered speechless, and could only gape at the stoic notary for a moment. "I don't know what to say William. Thank you seems to mean so little."

"There is no need for you to thank me Ciel. Your good will has been taken advantage off for far too long. This is a matter of morals. I am mortified that the company I work for, the boss I trusted, has played a huge part in this most contemptible cover up that denied you and Alois your rightful inheritance. May I offer you some advice though?"

"By all means, please do."

"I suggest you only discuss this with someone you can trust completely. Someone who does not stand to gain anything in helping you find your father's true will. You cannot trust just anybody with this."

Ciel bit his lip. Where would he find such a person? His mind automatically wandered to Sebastian, and even before he could dismiss the idea as ludicrous, he knew that ironically enough he might actually be the only one he could trust with this. Sebastian had riches of his own, and never expressed a real desire to seize all of Ciel's fortune. Secondly, he had been the first person who seemed to have been informed of Vincent's true riches and shared this information willingly.

"I think I might know someone," he mumbled more to himself. He then focused on William and granted him and warm well-meant smile. "I am forever grateful for what you have done for me."

"It is my job," William pointed out in a matter-of-fact manner.

"But you could have kept all of this to yourself and could have shared in the riches my uncle indubitably shares with Mister Anderson. I assume his silence did not come cheap."

"I love my job. The entire bureaucracy of it. I therefor feel that I should fulfill it in all honesty so that I can go to sleep at night with a clear conscious. There is no need to thank me, for I was glad to do it."

"Let's toast." Ciel lifted his hand to call the waiter. "A bottle of your finest wine," he told the young man. "Do you prefer red or white William?"

"I can be indulged with a fine glass of Cabernet Sauvignon," William replied.

Ciel ordered, and when they were both provided with a glass filled with ruby red wine, Ciel raised his. "To you, William T Spears, for being the honest god-fearing man you are."

* * *

After sharing two glasses of wine and a minor dinner with William, Ciel found that the slight buzz in his head gave him the type of courage he needed to pursue the idea in his head. Alois would be working the late shift so he would not be home till after midnight. This would give him enough time to execute his plan. He dug up Sebastian's card from his satchel and called the number on the card. A woman picked up, and informed him that Mister Michaelis was still at the office.

"Thank you." Ciel hung up and walked out of the mall, heading towards the metro, and switching lines at the station to Akihabara. Once he walked out into electrical town and read the address, he walked to Mandarake store. He knew the way from memory, Alois had dragged him to the large manga complex countless of times. Next to the immense black building stood a tall skyscraper made of glass and steel and with HOUSE MACABRE written over the revolving doors.

"How hauntingly suiting," Ciel mumbled while heading towards the entrance. He entered a wide lobby that seemed strangely detached and clinical considering the neighbourhood that was filled with color and extravagant buildings. The receptionist told him he could find Mister Michaelis on the twenty-seventh floor.

The elevator whisked him away at lighting speed and opened the doors to a second lobby. He entered cautiously, looking left and right to be certain Sebastian would surprise attack him. The room seemed clear and he sighed with relief.

Behind the mahogany desk that served as reception sat a red haired woman. Ciel headed towards her and she only removed her eyes from the screen when he politely cleared his throat. Her red painted lips drew up into a cool smile.

"Can I help you young man?"

"Yes. I called earlier. I am here to see Mister Michaelis."

Her eyes scrutinized him. "Mister Phantomhive I presume."

"Indeed. I am Ciel Phantomhive."

She got up from her chair and smoothed out her onyx pencil skirt. "Mister Michaelis is expecting you," she walked around the desk and passed him. "If you would follow me please."

Her red heels clicked on the wooden floor as she walked to the milk glass door at the opposite end of the lobby. She knocked politely, and only entered after she was giving permission. Ciel rolled his eyes at the obedience and followed her.

"Mister Phantomhive is here to see you Sir."

Sebastian looked up from his computer screen. His crimson eyes flickered when he saw Ciel. He took his glasses off, placing them on his desk, told his secretary she could leave and leaned back in his comfortable looking leather desk chair. He put the tips of his long fingers against his lips and smirked.

"Phantomhive. What an unexpected surprise. To what do I owe this tremendous pleasure?"

Ciel took a deep breath, and fidgeted with the strap of his satchel. He was not all together sure if he had done himself right coming here on his own account. His eyes briefly looked through the large windows behind Sebastian. The colorful lights and unusual architecture of Akihabara made for a most splendid view. His thoughts were interrupted when Sebastian got up and offered to get him a drink.

"Would you care for some cognac? Brandy perhaps?"

"Just some water will be fine."

Sebastian rounded his vast wooden desk, gestured to one of the white leather chairs in front it and sauntered to the shelf construction that covered the entire right wall. Ciel sat down on his hands. He then placed them in his lap, only to shove them under his legs again after a few seconds. He could not adapt to the peculiar situation.

"Here." Sebastian placed an ice cube filled glass and a bottle of water in front of Ciel, walked around the desk again and sat down, comfortably reclining against the back of the chair. They sat in silence for a few moments, Sebastian leisurely sipping his brandy and Ciel nervously pouring his water into the glass. He saw how Sebastian watched him fumble, his posture calm and awaiting until Ciel was ready to explain his sudden visitation. Ciel took a sip of the cool water, inhaled deep and put his hands down on the smooth wooden surface.

"It gives me great displeasure to come to you, but in light of the situation, I am not sure I have another choice."

Sebastian hummed low. "Sounds very intriguing."

"This is not a pleasure call," Ciel reminded him.

"I am not that bold to presume this was for pleasure, although we can't ever be too sure where the evening will take us." He said this with a wide grin and a seductive glimmer in his fierce eyes.

Ciel twitched and took a gulp of water to mask the low guttural sound that welled up in his chest. "I came because I need to discuss something with you, but first, I want to be sure that I can trust you won't speak off this with any of your shady contacts."

Sebastian arched an eyebrow. "If you must know, considering, I am a very honest businessman and my contacts to what you call shady people is only superficial and barely existent."

"You know Claude Faustus. I don't think I ever met a more foul person than him," Ciel declared.

"I assume you are not here to tell me that I know Claude Faustus," Sebastian said simply and steered the subject into another direction. "So I suggest you stop dancing around the issue and pray tell the reason you came to see me."

Ciel hesitated for a moment, then opened his satchel and placed the file in front of him. "I saw William today. He confirmed what you told me the night we met. My uncle has been cheating Alois and me out of our fortune for years. William had a false last will and testament probably set up by my uncle and Mister Anderson. Here lies the key to what should be my father's real last will."

Sebastian sat up and briefly touched the file. "Have you looked at it yet?"

"I have." Ciel confirmed with a nod.

"Then why are you here? This is your golden ticket out of your debt."

"I am sure that in search of those documents, I will encounter some difficulties. I am absolutely sure my uncle will not roll over that easily. And I am positive that you know how to respond should I face trouble, and that you have the people and means to act effectively under dire circumstances."

Sebastian sat back and dragged his thumb over his bottom lip. "You are most correct. Phantomhive. Very clever. I must admit that I am impressed by both your subtle words and wicked thinking." He stopped to think for a moment. "May I see the document?"

"Of course." Ciel shoved the file Sebastian's way. He picked up the paper, put his reading glasses back on and read the words out loud.

"Minima maxima sunt. Radix omnium malorum est cupiditas. Respice adspice prospice. The smallest things are most important. Avarice is the problem, money itself is not evil. Examine the past, examine the present, examine the future." He looked at Ciel over the rim of the paper. "Does any of this mean anything to you?"

"No. Not at all," Ciel admitted. "I didn't know you spoke Latin," he stammered after.

"There are a great deal of things you do not know about me kid," Sebastian said with a most witty smirk and placed the paper back into the map. "Such as there are a great deal of leads in those lines."

"Are there?" Ciel commented. "Because it's all total and utter hogwash to me."

Sebastian hummed, drank his remainder of brandy and got up to fetch his coat. "Leads I do not feel comfortable speaking off here. We should find a more private setting, so I suggest we go to my place. We can order some take-out and mold this over together."

Ciel turned in his seat and drew up an eyebrow. "Is this just a way to lure me back to your home so that you can get me drunk and take advantage of me again?"

Sebastian chuckled, walked over and leaned over the back of the chair, his lips close to Ciel's ear. "I don't need to get you drunk to take advantage of you kid. You're my property, I will have you whenever it so pleases me."

His words caused a shiver right down Ciel's spine. He would not admit to himself that it was a pleasurable one. He turned back to the desk and crossed his arms. "I think we can discuss all of this right here. It is private enough for my liking."

"So tenacious," Sebastian commented with a honeyed voice and made Ciel shiver again by gently blowing into his ear. "It's almost admirable had it not been so tiresome." He stood back. "Why don't you make yourself comfortable while I send my secretary home."

Ciel whipped around in his seat. "Why are you sending her home?" He hissed.

"When handling delicate matters like these, I find it is wise to not trust anyone," Sebastian explained simply while he walked to the door.

"Not even your own employees?"

"Especially them." Sebastian winked, opened the door and told the red haired woman she could leave. He waited until she had grabbed her coat and had hopped onto the elevator. After those doors closed, Sebastian leaned over the reception and called the downstairs lobby to check if she had left the building. Ciel rolled his eyes at how thorough Sebastian was.

"Perhaps you should search the room for bugs as well," he suggested in a snarky tone.

"You can't ever be too sure Phantomhive." Sebastian closed and locked the door. "You want something a little stronger?" He strolled to the shelf construction to retrieve the open bottle of brandy.

"Having a drink around you has proved to drag me into such extreme positions that I'd rather stay sober."

Sebastian chuckled low, turned and walked back to his desk. He placed an empty glass in front of Ciel. "Just in case you change your mind," he added in a seductive whisper.

Ciel pushed the glass aside side and leaned forward, his elbows resting on the desk and his fingers laced together. "I can trust you to handle this with the utmost decency and secrecy?"

"There is a reason I sent my secretary home." Sebastian poured himself another glass of brandy. "I can't ever be too sure about their entire history."

Ciel arched an eyebrow. "Are you that suspicious of your own employees?"

Reclining in his seat, Sebastian took a sip of his drink. "Kid. In certain matters I do not trust a soul," his crimson eyes rolled Ciel's way. "I advise you learn to live by that standard as soon as possible. It might end up granting you your rightful fortune, and in time, it might even save your life."

"Oh I see," Ciel reclined in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you going to lecture and teach me the ways of the underworld? Is there going to be an exam at the end? Should I write anything down?"

Sebastian narrowed his eyes, inhaled and sipped his drink. "No. I am going to teach you how to behave like a businessman. Since you seem to lack the knowledge and possess no raw talent for it. Save the last name, I would not have taken you for the son of Vincent Phantomhive."

Ciel's eyes widened. "You take that back you son of a bitch, or else."

"Or else what? You're going to cry?" Sebastian faked a pout and grinned wickedly right after. "You could not protect crumbs from a bunch of drunk rodents or scare infants out of their pacifier. Vincent would have been ashamed to call you his son."

Ciel shot to his feet, slammed a hand down on the desk and waved a threatening finger at Sebastian. "I said, take that back. Right now."

Sebastian sighed and took another sip of brandy. "Not to rain on your parade, but I am not scared of you. Nor do I feel inclined to do anything you say. So I suggest, Mister Phantomhive, that you sit yourself back down and keep from giving a witty running commentary. I seem to remember you came to me for help, I am not obliged to give you such. Now," he leaned forward and folded his hands together atop his desk. Looking up at Ciel from below, Ciel could swear he saw sadistic pleasure in the fiery eyes, "shall we start over?"

Ciel gritted his teeth. His mind told him to turn around and leave, keeping his pride intact. Sebastian's arrogance was plain insufferable. His conscious told him to swallow it though, because he knew it to be true. He was not sure if he would achieve anything if not for Sebastian's help, plus, he was still very much indebted to him regardless all his objections. If Sebastian could help him and his search would proceed more swift, he would be rid off him not before long.

"Fine," he spat through clenched jaws and sank back into his seat, "I will try to keep my thoughts to myself."

"Splendid." Without asking, Sebastian poured the both of them a glass of brandy and raised it. "A toast to what can only be a very fruitful collaboration for both you and me."

Ciel opened his mouth to shot back a snarky comment. He swallowed it though, raised his glass as well and smiled with a hint of sarcasm. "I'll drink to that," and he threw the drink back in one large gulp.

"I think it best to start at the very beginning." Sebastian pulled the file back toward himself and opened it. Waving the paper in front of Ciel's nose he asked. "Have you ever heard or seen these lines before?"

"Not that I remember, but then again, my knowledge of Latin is practically non-existent, shy for some quotes that are common knowledge."

Sebastian nodded and dragged his forefinger over his lips. "Then I think it would be wise to explore the deeper meaning of these words carefully."

"I could search the internet." Ciel retrieved his phone from his jeans pocket.

"No you will not. Put that away."

Ciel arched an eyebrow at Sebastian. "Why not? I honestly have no idea what these sentences have anything to do with either my father or his last will."

"Your internet steps can easily be retraced," Sebastian explained simply.

"That is preposterous!" Ciel laughed. "Who would think to retrace my internet activity?"

"Your uncle fabricated an entire false will and testament. Do not deem him an idiot. If he is capable of such a thing and can get away with it for years, it would be child's play for him to request your daily activities. You must not give him any ties to this document. Not until you know enough to confront him with it."

Ciel gave in with a short nod and put his phone back in his pocket. "I had not thought of that yet," he bit his lip and considered other options for a moment. "But then how am I supposed to find out what the deeper meaning is?"

Sebastian leaned forward, and placed his fingertips on the document. "Easy. I am sure that if you have saved a trinket that means nothing to you such as a tea set, there is more where that came from."

"I've rented a storage room for my parents belongings," Ciel shrugged, "I am not sure if I will find anything there though. I have not been there since the day I stored the boxes. It's not a place I like to visit."

"Then it will not hurt to pay the storage a visit. I must urge you not to speak to anybody about that though, not even your brother. We both know how he handles certain situations."

Ciel breathed a laugh. "Yes. He doesn't handle situations, he fucks them up." He reached and grabbed the bottle of brandy. He poured himself another glass and filled up Sebastian's as well. "I wonder though," he sat back and dragged his finger over the rim of his glass, "how can I be so sure I can trust you with this?"

Sebastian grinned. "You can't. You're going to find out for yourself."

Ciel twitched. "That is promising. I'm already regretting that I put enough faith in you to share this information."

Sebastian chuckled low and narrowed his eyes at Ciel. "I can promise you though that it will not be in my own interest to double cross you. I already have more money then I can spend, and I do not wish to take the responsibility that comes with the Phantomhive legacy."

"If you have more money then you can spend, then why are you so determined to hold me to my debt?"

"Because I expect to get my money's worth." Sebastian put his glass down. "Speaking of your debt," he crooked his finger and beckoned Ciel to come over. "You can settle a part of it right now."

"I am not sure if I feel inclined to do so," Ciel replied wittily.

Sebastian smirked amused and made a hand gesture, fanning out his fingers. "You are not in a position to act clever," he stood, "come and sit here for a moment," he gestured at his chair.

Ciel sighed, stood and did as told. The chair was even more comfortable than the one he had sat in before. He turned to the windows and looked out over Akihabara. The buzzing traffic. Droves of people. The colorful lights and butler cafes. He had always enjoyed the wild variety of services the district had to offer.

"Breathtaking, isn't it?"

"It is," Sebastian replied.

Ciel rolled his eyes up at him. Sebastian was staring at him from his place on the corner of the desk, not paying any attention to the splendid view. Ciel felt how his cheeks started to burn, and he dipped his chin to his chest to hide the blush that betrayed he was flattered by the compliment.

"Ciel."

Sebastian sank down next to him, cupped his chin and forced him to look at him. He let his thumb slide over Ciel's lips. "Such a plump mouth," he whispered and leaned in, surprising Ciel with a very gentle kiss. Nothing about it was rushed, or aggressive. The taste of brandy and cigarettes comfortably familiar.

"We should be discussing the document," Ciel whispered against Sebastian's lips.

"All in good time Ciel." Sebastian pinched Ciel's bottom lip between his teeth and ran his tongue over it. Ciel responded eagerly and exhaled low groans when Sebastian's mouth trailed down his neck. He blamed the alcohol for his obeying reaction, but he knew all too well he wasn't drunk.

Sebastian unbuttoned Ciel's shirt, ever so slowly. His lips trailing light kisses over each new exposed part of skin. Ciel closed his eyes, and let the administrations drag his thoughts away from the world. There was no more point in resisting, even if he would continue to do that nonetheless. In the short time, he had almost become addicted to Sebastian, even if it was against his own conscious.

"You're hard."

Ciel gasped, a guttural groan ripping from his lips when Sebastian cupped his clad cock. He cracked his eyes open and stared straight into the seductive crimson orbs. Through lidded eyes, he watched Sebastian unzip his jeans and tug down his gray boxers. He was hard, precum glistening and leaking from his engored member. Sebastian smirked amused, and his eyes never left Ciel's while he leaned down and dragged his tongue up the length in an excruciatingly slow manner.

"Shit." Ciel breathed in, his hands gripping the armrests tightly. Sebastian sucked on the skin around his dripping cock, teasing him in a most deliciously tortuous way. His eyes we still fixed on Ciel's, and they lit up with vicious delight when he took the twitching cock into his mouth and made Ciel curse in desire.

"Fuck. Shit-" Ciel threw his head back, his breath more and more erratic by the second due to the skillful mouth that slid up and down his length in changing paces. He wanted to bury his fingers in the ebony locks, taking matters more into his own hands. Sebastian prevented him by placing his own hands over Ciel's and pinning them down on the armrests.

"Damn you," Ciel spat through gritted teeth and moaned hard after. He was now more than thankful that Sebastian had had the mind to sent his secretary home.

The warm mouth cradled his cock neatly, and he felt how a familiar tension made the muscles in his legs tremble. A disappointed and almost aggressive noise ripped from his lips when Sebastian let the length pop out of his mouth.

"Please don't. I'm so fucking close," he pleaded.

Sebastian smirked, and conceded, answering the pleas by drawing circles around the head with his tongue, coating it with both his saliva and the leaking cum.

"Look at me," he demanded.

Ciel cracked his eyes open, looking into the hot fiery ones of Sebastian. Lust soared through his body and he slowly started to move his hips into the motion, gaining more friction.

"Stop that," Sebastian commanded.

Ciel obeyed without question, not desiring to know what would happen if he didn't. The warm tongue dragged over the head of his cock, and the mouth engulfed it entire, saliva trickling down into the fine slate hairs at the base.

"I'm going- fuck I'm going to come," Ciel wheezed.

Sebastian sucked down the length, and slid back up, hallowing his cheeks until the cock popped out of his mouth with an arousing wet pop. One of his hand's left Ciel's, and wrapped around the length, jerking in determined and strong strokes.

Ciel's gazed at Sebastian through lidded eyes, not able to control himself any longer when Sebastian's tongue dragged over the head of his cock.

"Fu-ck!" He cried out, and his eyes rolled up when he came in Sebastian's hot mouth. His entire body twitched at the ecstasy of his intense orgasm, and the warm muscles enveloping his length in hot want made it all the more gratifying.

Sebastian slowly plopped the cock out of his mouth, a thread of saliva and cum connecting his lips with the throbbing head. He stood, and leaned down, his arms flanking Ciel's satisfied body. Ciel in-and exhaled rapidly, his chest rising and falling.

He opened his eyes and look at Sebastian. The accomplished smirk on his lips and the drop of cum at the corner of his mouth made him all the more attractive. Without hesitating, Ciel leaned in, collected the cum on his tongue and kissed Sebastian hard. His masculine cologne, the taste of brandy, cigarettes and hot sperm. Ciel knew all too well that he was addicted to being in debt to Sebastian Michaelis, and no matter how ever much he fought it, with every time they met, it only got worse.


	6. VI

Days after Ciel had find out the truth about his father's will and had discussed this with Sebastian, he got an unexpected phonecall from his cousin, Elizabeth Midford. She insisted they'd meet for a drink coming week, since it already had been too long since they had seen each other in her opinion, and she had to ask her favorite cousins an important question. As peculiar as it had been, Ciel agreed to talk to Alois about a date in a nearby future and promised to get back to her as soon as he did.

Before long, it was almost Christmas, and it would have completely slipped Ciel's mind had he not come home one night to find Alois had dug up the decorations and was balancing on the edge of a dinning room chair trying to fix a star ornament in front of the window. Alois whipped around when the door opened and beamed bright at his older brother, gesturing around the decorated living room. Ciel summoned a tired smile, sank down on a stool at the breakfast bar and watched Alois go about the room, arranging ornaments and Christmas lights.

"There." Alois wiped at his forehead before he placed his hands on his hips and admired his own handiwork. "The only thing missing is a real Christmas tree," he threw a meaningful look at his older brother. "Don't you agree?"

They had this exact same discussion every year, and every year Ciel denied his brother the pleasure of a live pine tree, saving himself the effort of dragging it home, stuffing it in the elevator and cleaning up the fir needles every day. Despite Alois's long and hefty testimonies and promises that he would not have to lift a finger Ciel knew otherwise. This year, the idea of that weary discussion seemed more tiresome than fixing up a tree. Also, if they would go out to Chiba anyway, they could easily combine this with the enforced visit to their cousin.

"I agree," Ciel complied and propped his cheek up against his knuckles. "We could go to Chiba coming Saturday and get one. I'll rent a car, and we can swing by Elizabeth before going to Costco."

"Elizabeth?" Alois's lips pursed after he repeated her name in slight surprise, "aren't they in Sapporo?"

Ciel shook his head, reached, and snatched up a bright green apple from the fruit bowl. "She called me the other day, insisting we meet with her soon. She had to speak to us," he said and sank his teeth in the apple. It crunched loudly as he chewed on it.

Alois squinted, and scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Strange," he mused, and seemed to be thinking about something, "oh well, suppose if we are going to Chiba anyway," he paused and shrugged his shoulders. "Saves us another trip," he concluded and leaped forward to the refrigerator. "Could we have butter corn ramen for dinner?"

Ciel exhaled, relieved Alois did not question him any further. He nodded. "Sure we can. I'll swing by the supermarket later."

Alois replied with a smile, and skipped to his brother with that type of look in his eyes that alerted Ciel his younger brother wanted something, and was determined to get it.

"What if I come along to the supermarket," he began, and slowly dragged his finger over the counter, drawing invisible circles, "perhaps we can pass the storage as well so we can pick up our old Christmas decorations."

Ciel frowned. He should have known this would happen. It was practically inevitable. "What is wrong with all the new decorations you gathered over the years."

"Nothing." Alois's replied, his voice a little higher than it normally was. "I just think it would be nice to decorate the tree with all of mom's old trinkets. Do you remember those crane birds she had, in every color imaginable. Those were my favorite ornaments. Could we please go and pick them up, please," he batted his eyelashes at his older brother and his pout trembled in feigned innocence.

"I'm not sure," Ciel hesitated. He couldn't think of an excuse off the top of his head why he couldn't take Alois along to pick up their old Christmas decorations. If he was going to the storage anyway, he would also dig through all the boxes to find a lead to the Latin phrases, but he did not need his younger brother sniffing and poking about, asking why he was suddenly interested in their parent's old crap, as Ciel normally called it.

Alois easily picked up on his hesitation, leaned in and squinted at Ciel. "You're hiding something from me. Whatever it is, I would love to find out rather sooner than later because I still have some studying to do for upcoming tests."

Ciel smirked. He had found his scapegoat. "Then I suggest you stop dawdling and get to work. I will swing by the storage box, and pick up the groceries at the supermarket, so you can devote yourself entirely to your studying."

"I can take a break from studying," Alois interjected.

"I think you've already had one," Ciel gestured around the livingroom. "The place looks as if Santa and his reindeer went to Disneyland and exploded."

"Why don't you want me to come along?"

"Because you need to study."

"You're hiding something from me," Alois argued.

"And you're stalling," Ciel pointed out flatly. "Go to your room and study. This discussion is over." He made a short hand gesture, stood and snatched his keys and wallet from the counter. "I'll be back in an hour. Don't let anybody in while I'm away."

"Yeah yeah," Alois waved his warning away and sighed. "What has gotten into you lately? All this sneaking and skulking about, hiding things and abruptly ending discussion without a proper explanation. You're starting to act like dad used to."

Ciel raised an eyebrow at his younger brother. "Then I suggest, like with dad, you stop asking stupid questions and go to your room," he replied, his voice more arctic then had ever heard himself before.

Alois pressed his lips together until they were no more then a fine thin line. All color had disappeared from them as he tried to think of a witty reply. When he found none, he caved, hissed that he wanted narutomaki as well and disappeared into his room, slamming the door shut behind him. Ciel exhaled relieved, shrugged his coat back on and left the apartment.

* * *

It was snowing again. A gust of wind blew the flakes straight into his eyes. Ciel dipped his head to shield his face and stuffed his hands in his pockets to protect them from the bitter biting cold. He took the train to Ebisu and a taxi to the storage. At this late hour, and probably due to the weather, the park was deserted.

"You're lucky. I was about to close shop."

Ciel had found the keeper, showed him his identity card, and together they walked to the boxes in the far back. Their way was badly lit by flickering lights overhead, and for a moment Ciel was back in the corridor at Club F. An involuntarily shiver coursed down his spine.

"Quite a coincidence, you're the second one who showed up this week to access that particular box," the man mumbled gruff while he retrieved a set of keys from his coat pocket. "I haven't seen nobody for years. Was almost sure the owner had forgotten about it, but here you are," he faked a smile over his shoulder.

"What do you mean that I am the second person who came asking about that box?" Ciel inquired. "It is in my name. Nobody else is supposed to enter without my permission. It's in my contract."

The man stopped and scratched the stubbles on his chin. Ciel could smell the liquor on his breath from where he was standing, a good feet away. "Huh, imagine that," he mumbled, "with everyone coming in and out all day, you sometimes get things mixed up. Hazard of the profession."

"Hazard of a lifelong alcohol career," Ciel grumbled and snatched the key that lay on the palm of the keeper's big hand. "Be sure that I will file a complaint with superior," he threatened and stomped around the last corner that lead to his storage box.

"Suit yourself. I am leaving in fifteen minutes though."

The voice of the keeper echoed, and then died down as Ciel moved along the corridor. The last door on the right. His stomach tightened with each step he took. The air seemed to have become more dense around him and it made it difficult to breathe. Ciel stubbornly stepped onward until he reached the storage box he had been renting for nearly eight years now and which he never bothered to look after he stored all the boxes and furniture.

With a heavy heart he unlocked the garage door and opened it. It opened as easily as it had closed the day he turned his back on his painful past. The door clicked, and Ciel stepped inside, fingering the wall for a light switch. He found it, switched it and gasped horrified when the yellow light cast shadows over the complete chaos the previous visitor had left behind.

Boxes opened, books ripped apart, furniture turned over, broken china. Ciel felt how his blood began to boil. As he stepped forward, something crunched underneath his shoe. He squatted and picked up the broken photo frame. A picture of happier times; Rachel's eyes glistening with devotion. Pride reflecting in Vincent's brown eyes. Alois and him laughing at something Ciel could not quite remember. It was taken at their outhouse in Sapporo during the cherry blossom season. Ciel carefully removed the picture from it's broken frame and put it in his pocket.

He made a quick survey of the small space. His entire childhood was locked up in here and it smelled stuffy, like the scent of old books and pipe tobacco. He pawed through some boxes, trying to find anything that could be used as a key of some sorts. After ten fruitless minutes of trying to find an unidentified key in a pile of family memories, he decided to locate the box with Christmas decorations and head on home. He would come back later to organize and investigate every item.

At the front desk, he asked if the keeper remembered who had required access to his storage box. He vaguely remembered it was blonde young male with expensive clothes and a posh accent. Ciel instantly knew it could be no other than his cousin Edward.

"I am coming back next week to reorganize. You'd better make sure nobody else sneaks into my garage or I will sue you and this entire organization for malpractice." He warned. It did not seem to bother the keeper much as he waved it away with a tired gesture and bade Ciel an insincere goodnight.

He bought the ingredients for dinner in a tiny supermarket that was on his route back home. After he gave Alois the Christmas trinkets and answered his question why some were broken with a simple shrug and an 'It must have happened during the moving', Alois started dinner.

They ate in silence. Ciel pretended to watch the news while his mind was going over the objects he had seen and where he might find a clue amongst their old things, and Alois was quietly slurping his soup while admiring each colorful crane bird a full minute before he careful placed them in a row on the table.

* * *

That following Saturday they had an unfortunate encounter. It was a beautiful day, with blue skies as far as the eye could see with only thin wisps of white here and there. Ciel had rented a Datsun and he and Alois were now on there way to the garage to pick it up and drive the two hours it took to get to Chiba.

The auto shop was also in Ebisu, close the to storages. Ciel could only hope the thought of picking up a real Christmas tree was enough to distract Alois from wanting to snoop around their parent's old belongings. Little did he know that something else would distract them both from their activities entirely.

The two brothers strolled leisurely down the pavement, Alois excitedly admiring the colorful display windows and flickering lights and Ciel visibly enjoying his brother's delight. It was one of those days that every care in the world was forgotten and they simply enjoyed a lazy Saturday morning. Alois pressed his nose against a window and prodded his forefinger against the glass.

"Look at those Christmas cakes. We must simply get one for Christmas eve'. Have a look at them Ciel, they're absolutely gorgeous."

Ciel shoved the sleeve of his coat back and checked his watch. "We must keep on moving Alois. I promised Lizzy we would meet her at eleven. It's almost half past eight."

"Then I suggest you take a look," Alois shot back over his shoulder. "You could make this so much easier on yourself if you simply do what is asked of you instead of starting an argument."

Ciel rolled his eyes, stepped closer and leaned casually against the window. "Don't stand so close, you're fogging up the entire window," he pointed out sarcastically.  
Alois looked up from below, pointed at a red and white cake and pleaded silently with wide-set shimmering eyes. Ciel squinted and tried to maintain his stoic composure. He failed, caved and promised Alois they would get one when they drove the Christmas tree home and returned the car. Alois squealed in delight and pressed a wet kiss on Ciel's cheek.

"You are the best," he cooed and rubbed his cheek against Ciel's.

"Stop rubbing yourself against me before I change my mind," Ciel warned him and tried to push Alois away.

"Such a precious moment."

Both brothers froze. Alois's eyes were wide and stared helpless in Ciel's. He inhaled deep, whipped around to the deep voice and instinctively shielded Alois from the male. Claude tilted his head back and grinned joyless.

"What are you doing here?" Ciel hissed.

Claude arched an eyebrow. "I do not feel inclined to explain my presence. It's a free country, well," he pursed his lips for a brief moment, "it is for some," he added with a devilish glimmer in his golden eyes.

"Leave us alone. We have no more dealings with you. Not anymore," Ciel emphasized.

Clacking his tongue, Claude chewed on those words for a second. "True, which I am starting to regret. I have sadly enough not enjoyed myself as much ever since. I am sure you are experiencing the same failure and disappointment as I am."

"Don't flatter yourself. I hardly gave your sorry person any thought," Ciel shot back.

The flickering lights behind the window glistened in Claude's spectacles, and it made his expression intelligible. "I was not talking to you," Claude explained calmly. "Tarnished and jaded by Michaelis, makes you so very unappealing. No, I was talking to him," he nodded to Alois.

Ciel felt Alois's body go rigid in shock. A noise left his younger brother's lips, it sounded like the whimpering of a wounded animal. This made Ciel insanely furious. He stepped closer and straightened his back, trying to come off taller and more fearsome than he really was.

"If you dare to lay one more finger on him, I will personally shoot your balls off and force feed them to you."

Claude peered at him passed his nose, smirked and shook his head with a bleak sounding chortle. "Charming, yet still too inept. You could have gotten so much further by now under my guidance." He easily brushed passed Ciel and turned his entire focus to Alois.

Ciel whipped around on his heels but two of Claude's plump-haired lackeys, that seemed to have materialized out of thin air, stopped him before he could get to his younger brother. He was forced to watch as Claude cupped Alois's chin, leaned in and whispered something that caused a shameful blush across Alois's cheeks. Claude then stood back, gave Ciel one more look up and down and walked on. The two bodyguards disappeared as sudden as they had appeared, leaving Ciel and Alois alone of Claude's own accord.

"Are you alright?"

Ciel placed a hand on Alois's shoulder. His body jerked under the gentle touch. He then looked up in Ciel's eyes and nodded slowly.

"I am fine," he replied in a timid voice, and summoned an idle smile. Ciel did not believe him for a second.

"What did he just say to you? Is there something I need to know?"

Alois's attitude changed drastically within the blink of an eye. He flashed his toothpaste white smile and shook his head exuberantly. "Nothing you need to know," he chirped.

"Alois," Ciel growled threatening. "The last time you did not tell me about Claude Faustus, I ended up in the messed up deal I am in now. Tell me what he said."  
"Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head over. You have your secrets and I have mine" Alois sang and tapped his older brother on the nose. "Now let's get going. We wouldn't want to be late for Elizabeth's tea party." He skipped down the pavement, merrily greeting strangers on his way.

Ciel shook his head at it, promised himself he would fish for further information later on when Alois was less alert and followed his younger brother down the road.

* * *

Neither spoke much during their drive up to Ebisu. The road was almost free from cars, people staying in the city to make Christmas preparations. Alois commented on the nature that flashed by, and switched through the radio channels until he found one that played Christmas songs. Alois hummed along, occasionally singing a word, and taped his fingers on the dashboard. He now seemed careless and calm, even after their run in with Claude Faustus. It was confounding.

They arrived in Chiba a quarter to eleven. Ciel parked in a garage that was close to the address Elizabeth had texted him. As they walked to the particular teashop, Ciel kept glancing sideways at his younger brother. Alois still seemed unaffected.

Upon arriving at the shop, the two brothers exchanged a mutual look of confusion. The display window was seemed like Jack Skellington collided with Wonderland. The sign was a hat carved out of wood and set in motion by a non-existing wind, it creaked eerily.

"Undertaker's Wondrous Tea Emporium," Ciel read out loud. "Typically Elizabeth," he added snarkily.

"Isn't it amazing?" Alois peeped, and leaped forward and opened the door.

"Of course it is," Ciel sighed and followed Alois into the dim shop.

After the door closed behind them and blocked out all daylight, Ciel's eyes needed time to adjust to the darkness of the room. Shapes and figures slowly revealed itself slowly and when his entire ability to see returned, he saw all the different tables and chairs scattered about the room. Shelves and bookcases, installed willy-nilly to his left and right were stacked with antique tea sets, books and other trinkets.

"Yoo-hoo, over here."

A blonde female waved at them from the back left corner of the room, near the antique register. Elizabeth got to her feet and gestured for them to come over. Alois swayed through the sea of dissimilar tables and hugged his cousin tight. Ciel composed himself, maneuvered through the shop and offered Elizabeth a friendly smile.

"It is good to see you again, Elizabeth."

"Oh pishposh. Don't act so distantly," Elizabeth threw her arms around Ciel's neck and kissed his cheek heartily. "I missed you," she whispered in his ear.

Feeling uneasy by the tight embrace, Ciel took a step back, untangled Elizabeth's arms and patted her on the hand. "Let's take a seat so we can talk. Have you ordered already?"

"I did. Darjeeling and pastries. I so hope you don't mind." She pulled a face and fidgeted anxiously with her hands. Ciel could have sworn she and Alois were somehow related.

"Not my cup of tea," Ciel coined, "do they serve coffee in this.. establishment?" He asked, subtly masking his obvious disdain.

"I'm sure they do," Elizabeth leaned back, waved and yoo-hooed to gain the attention of a waitress that was serving customers in the right back corner of the room. The black haired woman straightened her back and observed Elizabeth with little interest. The look in the intense dark eyes stirred something in Ciel, and affected him in a way women usually never did. It reminded him of Sebastian and he felt how this had its effect on his body. He shuddered visibly. Fortunately, neither Elizabeth or Alois took notice.

The waitress arrived and silently gaped at Elizabeth, awaiting to take her order. Her onyx orbs met Ciel's and they had an even greater effect on him upclose than they had had from afar. His erection twitched painfully against his jeans, demanding all his attention.

"Do you also serve coffee? My cousin is not the tea type," Elizabeth's perky voice echoed from what seemed a lot further away, even if she was sitting right next to him. He felt her slender hand in the small of his back, and even if he felt nothing but an almost brotherly love for her, the soft warm touch aroused him.

The waitress gave Elizabeth a short nod. "We serve several iced coffees, ristretto and latte macchiato. What do you prefer Sir?"

Ciel swallowed audibly. "I'd like a double ristretto. Could you please direct me to the bathroom?"

"It's in the back," the waitress pointed over her shoulder. "Second door on the left."

"Thank you." Ciel stood and fled the scene as calm as he possibly could in his urgent situation.

He brushed passed the man that came out, locked the door and turned to lean on the sink. Sweat trickled down his temple and his breath had become irregular. Without giving it much thought, he unbuckled his belt and unzipped his jeans. Without beating about the bush or contemplating the consequences if someone might overhear, he pulled his cock out and started to jerk himself off. With only ten strong long strokes he came, and in his much needed relief, he moaned Sebastian's name.

Ciel inhaled deep, let the air escape in a long sigh and repeated this until his heart beat at a more normal pace again. He looked up in the mirror and saw a sweaty man with lustful eyes and a sinful blush splattered across his cheeks. He did not like it one bit.

With some paper towels, Ciel cleaned himself and the sink. He straightened his jeans, washed his hands and threw some of the cold water in his face to cool himself down. He combed through his hair with wet fingers, brushing the slate locks out of his eyes, gave himself a few more moments for the blush to fade and then left the tiny space to rejoin his brother and cousin.

"There you are," Alois exclaimed upon Ciel's return, "what took you so long?" He asked suspiciously.

Ciel pulled out his chair and sank down. "I don't feel even remotely inclined to share my bathroom stories during a fine tea party. Especially in the presence of a lady," Ciel clarified.

"Always such a gentleman," Elizabeth cooed and squeezed Ciel's hand lovingly. To his relief, her touch did not affect him anymore.

Their order was brought around. According to social convention they exchanged light-hearted pleasantries and mutual interest for the other's life. Elizabeth informed them that her parents were doing well and that her brother Edward had started studying at one of the most prestige universities of Tokyo. Ciel's suspicion that it had been his cousin who had broken into the storage was instantly confirmed.

Conversation died down. Alois and Elizabeth sipped their tea and discussed their shared appreciation for the quaint dainty teashop. Ciel paid their conversation no attention, his mind elsewhere entirely. He was drawn back to earth when Elizabeth took his and Alois's hand and prepared herself to make an announcement. Ciel held his breath and prayed she was not going to ask anything about his private investigation

"As much as I am enjoying your pleasant company and our delightful conversation, I am compelled to clarify the main reason I invited you today." She inhaled deep and exhaled with a woeful sigh. "I am engaged to be married."

I remained silent for a brief moment. Ciel and Alois exchanged a look of confusion. Elizabeth looked from one to the other and when her green eyes started to tear up, Ciel felt he had to respond and cleared his throat.

"That is wonderful news," he replied and showed her wide and relieved smile.

"Isn't it?" Elizabeth breathed and nodded a little too exuberantly. Ciel instantly knew she did not like it one bit.

"Is it someone we might know?" Alois inquired dutifully.

"Oh no you wouldn't." She shook her head which made her blonde curls bounce. "He is the son of the Indian ambassador. A wealthy silk entrepreneur, and a smart match according to my mother." She opened a the locket that hung from her neck and showed the brothers a picture. "His name is Soma Asman Kadar, it almost sounds like royalty," she giggled, "isn't he handsome? We are supposed to meet next week."

Ciel and Alois peered intently at the tiny portrait. He looked about ten years older than Elizabeth and from the way he stared into the camera, he thought the world of himself.

"He is," Alois confirmed to appease Elizabeth, and he looked up at his brother. "I'm glad to hear your parents found another smart match besides Ciel."

Elizabeth closed the locket without sparing it a look and turned her wide eyes at Ciel. She took both Ciel's hand in her own and squeezed them. "I hope you're not too thrown off by this. I know our parents had plans for us to get engaged to be married, but father thought this would make a smart match, and the fusion of our company with Soma's would be very fruitful.. I think.. I'm not very familiar with all those business terms and whatnot."

Ciel smiled, barely able to suppress a snarky comment about his uncle's greed. He had been informed about his aunt's plans to arrange an engagement between him and Elizabeth, but Vincent had refused her proposal instantly, telling her they did not live in the eighteen-hundreds anymore. Since his uncle had cheated Ciel and Alois out of their rightful inheritance, there was no more need for his daughter to marry the heir of the Phantomhive empire.

"It is perfectly fine," Ciel patted Elizabeth's hand. "I am more than happy for you."

"Really?" Elizabeth exhaled audibly and giggled. "That is such a relief to hear. Now I not afraid to invite the both of you to my wedding next month." She pulled her hand out of Ciel's, rummaged through her purse and handed the both of them an envelop. "Your personal invitations," she added with a small smile. "I do hope you can make it. Please tell me you can make it."

Without opening, Ciel confirmed that they would gladly attend her wedding, and insisted they shared a glass of champagne and refused to let Elizabeth pay their bill. "Consider it a belated engagement gift," he added while placing a pile of yen billets on the table.

* * *

Outside the shop, they said their goodbyes. When Elizabeth insisted they come to the small engagement party next week, Ciel also accepted without consulting Alois. After they parted ways, Alois halted his older brother and demanded to know why he was being so compliant.

"Since when are you this family orientated? What is the catch?'

"No catch," Ciel replied. "Elizabeth is getting married. It only seems just to attend this festive occasion. After all, they're the only family we have. Perhaps it's time to strengthen the ties."

Alois arched an eyebrow and scrutinized Ciel closely. "No, that is not it. Are you ever going to tell me what you've been up to lately. I hate this secretive behavior of yours. It does not suit you at all."

Ciel frowned. "Are you going to tell me what Faustus whispered in your ear?"

"Not in a million years," Alois exclaimed.

"Alright," Ciel gave him a short nod. "Then there you have my answer to your question. Not in a million years."

"No fair."

"Though luck," Ciel walked on and called over his shoulder. "Now would you please let it be and get a move on. We still need to get your damned tree, strap it to the car and drive back to Tokyo. I have to work on my thesis and grate papers so I'd like to get home before midnight."

"Fine!" Alois threw his arms in the air and stomped after his brother. "But you will have to tell me eventually," he reminded Ciel once he walked next to him again.

"Perhaps. Eventually." Ciel confirmed. After that they continued their walk back to their rental in silence.

At Costco, Alois picked out a full tree that could fit on the roof of the Datsun. The drive back was once again spend listening to Christmas tunes. With the little traffic on the road, they arrived in Shinagawa after only an hour and a half drive. The second Ciel turned the corner and drove into their street, he noticed the sleek town car that was parked outside their building. His grasp on the wheel tightened, turning the skin over his knuckles white. He gritted his teeth in annoyance, and barked at Alois to shut it when he asked him what was wrong.

"Don't automatically assume it's him," Alois lectured, "there are a lot more rich snobs in Tokyo that own posh cars."

"I know it's him. I recognize his bad timing anywhere," Ciel growled, and easily maneuvered the car into one of the open parking spaces next to their apartment building.

They got out, unstrapped the tree and locked the car. Heading towards the entrance, Ciel kept a weary eye on the car. He was more than certain it was Sebastian, awaiting to creep up on him when he least expected it. He was not about to be spooked that easily.

"Can you bring the tree up on your own?"

Alois nodded, took the pine from Ciel's hands and warned him to be careful.

"If I'm not up in thirty minutes, call the troops," Ciel winked. "Go inside. I'll be up soon."

Alois hesitated for a moment. Ciel pushed him to get inside. He finally complied, and Ciel waited until he had disappeared into the elevator. He then whipped around to the car and stepped closer. The window opened soundlessly and as he had expected, Sebastian peered at him over the rim of his sunglasses.

"Get in kid," he commanded, and opened the door. Ciel looked to his left and right, slid into the backseat and slammed the door shut behind him.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Sebastian took his sunglasses off, and the intensity of his eyes reminded Ciel of his state of ecstasy this afternoon as he jerked off with Sebastian in mind. It made his body quiver in longing.

"Have you discovered a connection to those Latin words amongst your parents belongings?"

"No I have not, and how do you even know I went to the storage?"

"I had one of my employees follow you. I want to make sure you're safe until you repay me fully."

Ciel twitched. "You sent someone to babysit me?"

"I wouldn't say it in those terms but sure, I sent someone to babysit you."

"Why would you do something like that? You don't even trust your own employees!"

Sebastian rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I do not trust them enough to explain them why, but I do trust them to protect you accordingly should you get into trouble."

"Comforting," Ciel snapped. "If you had someone spying on me, I'm sure you must already now what I found at the storage."

"No," Sebastian shook his head, "I instructed them to follow you and take care of any suspicious looking figures that might follow you. They were told not to follow you into the storage park."

"And what if someone had attacked me inside the storage? Going on what type of imbecile that is running the park, anybody could have easily sneaked in to surprise attack me."

"Then we are lucky that did not happen and you came out alive and well," Sebastian answered with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Save me your sarcasm. You're more concerned about my wellbeing than I am," Ciel grumbled insulted.

"Correct," Sebastian agreed. "Now to get back to the point. Did you find anything?"

"Nothing," Ciel shook his head. "Although I cannot be certain that what I was supposed to find was not already discovered by my cousin Edward Midford. It seems he has already searched the storage before I did and left a gigantic mess for me to clean up."

Sebastian hummed. "It is as I had feared. It seems they have been notified that you're investigating the matter."

"Impossible!" Ciel exclaimed. "Nobody besides you and me knows about this."

"What about that William fellow. Couldn't he have snitched to his supervisors?"

"Not a chance. I trust him completely," Ciel replied. "More than I trust you," he added in a snide tone.

Sebastian frowned, and even in the dimly lit car, Ciel could see something evil flicker in Sebastian's eyes. He quickly decided to switch the subject from William back to his family. "I will have my chance to search my uncle's home. My cousin Elizabeth is to be married and they're throwing a small engagement party at their estate next week. Alois and I were personally invited."

"I am not sure if it would be wise for you to go snooping about when all your relatives are in the same place. Considering your feeble power of observation and that you have no experience with subtly searching a home, you'll be caught in the act long before you had an opportunity to even search beyond their doghouse."

"Then what do you propose, mister Bond? You have yet to utter a better idea," Ciel quipped.

"I suggest we discuss such delicate matters elsewhere." Sebastian did not await Ciel's answer and tapped against the roof, signaling the driver to start driving.

Protesting was futile, and Ciel had to admit to himself he had grown curious to know how Sebastian would solve this problem. He had yet to find out if any of the big talk that had come out of his mouth was based on true facts or if he was merely bluffing. He retrieved his phone from his coat and texted to Alois that he would be back later this evening. He then turned his eyes to Sebastian.

"You're bringing me home after this," he stated in his most authoritative tone of voice.

"Naturally" Sebastian answered.

* * *

Alois read the text out loud and grumbled annoyed right after. Yet again his brother was mysteriously clouding his absence, leaving Alois vexed and alone.

"Blind idiot," he mumbled and shoved his phone away and placed his throbbing head on the cool breakfast bar counter. He had never been fond of Elizabeth and spending more than two hours with her in the same room was always enough to give him a headache.

Alois opened his eyes and stared at the pine they had bought. It was resting against the wall next to the front door. He was eager to decorate it but he didn't know how to place it in the stand on his own.

"I should study," he told himself, but failed to hoist his body up and go back to his books. His body jerked when the sudden dull ring of the doorbell echoed through the apartment. He gazed surprised to the front door, and slowly got up from his seat. He wasn't sure if he should open it or not.

The bell rang again. Alois took small steps towards the door. "Who is it?" He called. There was no answer.

When the bell rang a third time, and now even more persistently, Alois threw all good advice into the wind, unlocked the door and opened it.

"What the hell do you want," he spat, but instantly took a step back when he peered into a set of golden eyes.

Claude leaned casually against the doorframe. He took in the trembling figure of the fragile teenager and smirked amused. "Are you alone, little boy?"

"I-I am," Alois stuttered.

"Good," Claude replied and stepped into the apartment without awaiting a formal invitation and closed the door behind him, shutting out the safety of the outside world.


	7. VII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT!!
> 
> Since I am lazy as hell, and most of the time I never bother to check what I upload (honestly, I should be more organized than this) I only recently discovered that chapter 5 and 6 were one and the same. I am ashamed by my own lack of accuracy and I feel obligated to apologize for it.
> 
> So, in order to understand where this chapter is going, I advice you to go back to chapter 6 and reread it before venturing into this cesspool of doom. 
> 
> (Once again, very sorry!)
> 
> O.

Sebastian unlocked his front door, opened it wide and gestured for Ciel to enter. Now that he was sober, it seemed a lot less threatening than before. Sebastian switched on the lights in the living and told Ciel to have a seat while he got them something to drink. They sat across from each other, each taking careful sips of their steaming hot espresso, and Sebastian also leisurely smoking a cigarette.

The silence felt awkward. The air was thick with tension, but Ciel seemed to be the only one affected by it. Sebastian remained effortlessly calm and composed, as usual. It irked Ciel nine ways to Sunday, though it was not entirely surprising. They were in Sebastian's own environment, which gave him control. The silence now became bothersome, so Ciel spoke up.

"Are you going to tell me why I am here?"

Sebastian blew out a huff of smoke. "I was actually waiting for you to unravel your story to me."

Ciel twitched. "There was no story. Everything I told you, you already knew."

"Really?" Sebastian arched an eyebrow. "Then we have to work on your power of research as well," he commented with a charming lopsided grin. He then downed his coffee in one sip, got up and walked to a cabinet near the wall of glass. "Can I interest you in a very fine single malt?"

"No thank you," Ciel quipped insulted. "And since you're so quick with your judgment, pray tell all the new facts and details you found out," Ciel sank back in the couch and followed Sebastian's moves with his eyes, impatiently awaiting what he had to say. "Going on your ungrounded narcissism, it's sure to be good."

Sebastian took his time to pour himself a glass of whiskey, to the precise amount he desired, three units and one unit of bottled water. He calmly sauntered back to his chair, sank down and crossed his ankle over his knee. His eyes burned in Ciel's, and Ciel involuntarily swallowed at the same time Sebastian took a sip of his drink.

"Your father's last words to you were in Latin. This had to mean something else than just random selected phrases. Knowing Vincent Phantomhive, he would've locked his true riches away somewhere not just anybody could have access to. Top secret private banks if you will. After extended research, I can conclude that there are no such banks in Japan, or so to say, no banks in Japan that use those exact phrases as some form of secret code."

"So basically your research came out as fruitless as mine," Ciel interjected a bit smug.

Sebastian wagged a finger at him and put it briefly to his lips after. "Just because you heard something about it, does not mean you know the rights of it. In this case, I was not finished yet," he explained, his matter of speaking as if he were lecturing an obstinate child.

"Sorry," Ciel retorted snide, and stubbornly crossed his arms over his chest and placed the noses of his shoes on the edge of the table. "Continue then," he muttered.

"Such a heart-felt apology," Sebastian grinned a handsome lopsided grin, "we will talk about that later. Now to get back to business. I sought out contact with a friend of whom I was certain... why are you gaping at me in that manner?"

"A friend," Ciel repeated slowly.

"Yes," Sebastian replied a bit clueless. "What about it?"

"Nothing," Ciel sat up, reached for his cup and stared at the black coffee as if it had the answers to everything he wanted to know, "I just never fathomed you could even pronounce the word friend let alone use it and yourself in one sentence," Ciel shrugged nonchalant.

Sebastian knitted his brows together. "Yes, you think I am a satanic sadist whom nobody would want to befriend. We've established that knowledge already so it's not funny anymore. It's getting old by now."

"Not to me it doesn't," Ciel grinned.

"Are you done feeling smug about your bad pun so that we get back to the issue?"

"By all means," Ciel made a small hand gesture and took a sip of the hot beverage. The strong taste of carefully burned beans tickled his tongue. "Continue," he said after swallowing.

"Thank you," Sebastian breathed and took a sip of his drink. "As I was saying, I sought out contact with a friend of whom I am sure that he would know more about these lines and all the possible meanings and intentions they could have in this particular context."

Ciel's smugness was very short-lived, and at those words, his body jerked in shock. "You did what?" He exclaimed. "You were not supposed to talk to anybody else about this," Ciel hissed after the initial shock was over. "You do have your own agenda regarding my legacy, don't you?"

Sebastian arched an eyebrow. "Your trust in me is moving. I have told you many times before, and I cannot pressure this enough, I have no further interest beyond getting back what I invested. I am a wealthy man, I don't need anymore money then what I already own."

Ciel narrowed his eyes at Sebastian and nodded slowly. "You keep reminding me that you have money to spare, and yet you keep me to a debt, an amount that almost seems like pocket money to you. What is it that you really want, because I do not trust you for any Yen I owe."

"I told you already. I am not a-"

"A philanthropist, I know, "Ciel waved his hand in a dismissive manner, "you have told me that a dozen times before. Then what are you and what is it you want? What could I possibly possess that interests you so?"

"You possess several things I am very interested in," Sebastian replied with a certain light in his eyes that caused a pleasurable shiver down Ciel's spine as they looked him up and down. He ignored it, sat up straight and leaned forward, aligning all his fingertips and putting on his most serious frown.

"Stop beating about the bush and tell me what it is you desire. Stop playing this tedious game, because you told me before my act was getting old. Well Sebastian, so is yours. What do you want?"

"I am not beating about the bush, kid. You are here so that I could reveal my findings, something that should interest you immensely. Instead of listening to what I have to say, you keep trying to find holes in my motivation to help you."

"If you had not noticed before, you're not the most dependable person. My lack of faith in the likes of you should be abundantly clear."

"It is," Sebastian confirmed. "Make no mistake, your obvious distrust is as clear as day," Sebastian got up to refresh his drink. "But yet, here you are, because I seem to be the only person you trusted with a secret as great as your father's true legacy," he pointed out. "Could it be that you are only fooling yourself regarding your faith in me?"

"N-No." Ciel swallowed, thrown by the conclusion Sebastian had drawn. A fact that was so obvious but one he still tried to deny. He got to his feet and looked Sebastian straight in the eye. "Stop twisting my words and actions to your own liking. And even if I had a momentarily moment of misplaced trust, it is now gone. Just.. just get out of my life."

Sebastian made no effort to stop Ciel from snatching up his coat and leaving. As he opened the front door, he heard Sebastian's voice, but intentionally ignored it and slammed the door shut.

* * *

Claude's eyes briefly wandered about the living room. The Christmas decorations, simple furniture and family photos. Alois detested the way he looked at their life, with brows mashed together and a glimmer of revulsion in his golden eyes.

"It is not much, but we call it home," Alois announced and crossed his arms over his chest in a defensive manner, "happily," he added.

Claude looked down at him passed his nose. "It suits your standards," he remarked coolly.

"I do not like what that implies," Alois quipped.

"Then what do you suppose it implies?" Claude asked with disinterest.

"That we have low standards."

"If that is your conclusion, the edge in my tone has landed thusly." Claude agreed bluntly while he hung his scarf over the back of the bar stool and started to unbutton his coat. "But by the look on your face I assume that answer is not to your liking, so make of it as you will, I could care less."

Alois pressed his lips together until they were nothing more than a stripe. He marched to the front door, opened it and gestured into the hallway. "Get out."

"I'd rather not." Claude sank down on one of the bar stools and leaned on the counter. "I would very much like a drink though. It's no more than a common rule of etiquette to offer your guest a drink before showing them the door."

"I did not invite you, which makes you an uninvited intruder in my home," Alois stomped over, ripped the scarf and coat from the stool and tossed them at Claude's. "I would very much like you to leave my apartment, immediately. Please," he added with a much recognizable hint of sarcasm.

Claude stood, picked up and neatly placed the items Alois had rudely tossed at him on the back of the seat again and walked over until he loomed over the teenager. "And I would very much like for you to get me that drink," he spoke without a hint of feeling in his voice and slammed the door shut.

Alois narrowed his eyes at Claude and clenched his fists along side his body. "You are trespassing."

"And you are boring me."

"Really?"Alois replied in a shrieking voice. "I've I'm such a bore," he reopened the door and gestured into the empty hallway once more. "Why don't you leave and find someone else who'd like to give you a drink."

Claude took another step towards Alois. Now they were standing toe to toe, and Alois felt how it made him shiver. Claude leaned in until his raven locks mixed with Alois's blonde hair. Claude's warm breath on the teenager's skin allured a primal bodily reaction. It made Alois powerless to the silent and dangerous temptation that came so naturally to Claude.

"What would you'd like to drink?" Alois breathed after a moment or two.

Claude smirked, placed the palm of his hand against the door and shut it. Leaning against the wood, Claude caressed Alois's cheek with the back of his other hand. It allured a guttural groan from Alois's lips.

"I'd like a rum straight up," Claude replied, and Alois's answer was caught in his throat when Claude briefly brushed his lips over Alois's before dragging them in a heated kiss.

Claude's moves were calculated and aggressive. He easily pinned the slender blonde between his body and the door, tore his lips away from the panting mouth and sucked hard on the skin of Alois's neck, alluring needy moans from the teenager. His hands did not even hesitate for a second and he plunged them into the front of Alois's pants and cupped the engorged cock. He tilted his head, the light of the kitchen tinting over his glasses.

"Such an eager little boy. Just like I remember you," he grinned.

Alois swallowed audibly and tried to find some friction under the weight of Claude's toned body pressing against his own. It only caused the kind of gratification he had found that time when he had been forced to go down on his knees for him as his squirming only led to Claude's warm hand rubbing his erection. Alois loved it, like he had done the previous time, something he never had the gut to confess to his older brother. Ciel had come to his rescue, had indebted himself for him, never knowing Alois had been enjoying every expert move and dirty insult Claude had thrown at him.

"You're trembling," Claude concluded and bend down to continue to whisper in Alois's ear. "Are you afraid, little boy?"

"N-No," Alois choked and moaned even harder as Claude cupped and rolled his balls in his hand.

As sudden as Claude had trapped Alois between himself and the door, he stepped back, walked to the couch and sat down. Alois was left perplexed, his cock twitching in begging manner, longing to feel that rough touch of those warm hands again. Claude sprawled his arm over the back of the couch and crooked the fingers over his other hand, beckoning Alois to come over. He obediently did as he was told, but froze in his step and Claude shook his head and clacked his tongue in a dismissive manner. Alois loved it.

"The rum," Claude ordered and nodded to the kitchen.

Alois followed as ordered, and overwhelmed by the strong presence, he seemed to have forgotten how he was supposed to make a rum straight up. He looked for the bottle in the freezer, and it was not until he had a hold of the frozen bottle that he realized that was vodka. He straightened himself and looked in all the normal places, fixated on getting the rum as soon as possible and with some of his dignity still intact. Claude waited patiently, and Alois felt how his golden eyes followed him like a predator. It made his erection throb with even more anticipation.

"Here." Alois held out a whiskey glass filled to the brim with brown Cuban rum. Claude's eyes fleetingly darted to the table and back to Alois. He got the hint and set it down.

"Come here." Claude patted on his right leg. "Sit with me for a moment."

Alois sank down, an involuntarily shriek leaving his lips when he felt Claude's warm hand in the small of his back and the other caressing up and down his leg.

"You seem unnerved," Claude observed coolly, and leaned forward to pick up his drink. He took a large gulp, downing a good quarter of the rum in one sip. "Something unsettling you?"

"Ciel could come home." Alois's eyes rolled to the door and he felt a pang of guilt in his chest.

"Do you care?" Claude breathed in his ear.

"No," Alois replied in a husk whisper.

"Good," Claude mused pleased, and took another sip of the rum. "Then get down on your knees."

* * *

Ciel stubbornly stomped down the street to the train station. Somewhere in the back of his head he knew Sebastian was more than right about him, he just never wanted to admit it to himself. Also, there were the words he had failed to hear and they were piquing his interest. He almost had a mind to turn around and go back, but his pride prevailed him to act on his curious nature.

"Self centered bastard," Ciel grumbled, and he repeated those words like some mantra. He only noticed that he was saying them out loud when the few other people that were waiting for the train turned their heads and shot him insulted glares.

He sank down on an empty seat in the back of the carriage and glared out into the night. Lights, neighbourhoods and people passed by in a blurry flash. Not only the speed of the train caused the images to blend into a blurry intelligible mass. He aggressive wiped at his eyes and silently lectured himself to get himself together.

The elderly janitor of his building greeted him with an almost toothless smile. Ciel replied it half-hearted and was more than glad the elevator arrived and whisked him away to his floor in mere seconds. Through the slim milky glass next to their front door Ciel could see Alois was still awake. He sighed irked, more than sure his younger brother would fire all kinds of questions at him. He knocked and called to announce that he was not a burglar, a rule Alois had insisted on after an apartment on the bottom floor had been robbed after midnight. There was no reply, and instead of being rejoiced, an eerie feeling crept up on Ciel.

"Alois," he opened the door and jiggled the keys to get them out of the lock. "I am sorry that I'm back this late. I was unfortunately held up by-"

He stopped dead in both his sentence and his steps. Alois looked up at him from the livingroom floor with wide set eyes filled with terror. On the couch in front of him, with his pants undo and his erection exposed sat Claude. The look in the golden eyes was even more smug than it had been the previous time Ciel had found the two in such a situation. His eyes then darted to Alois. His younger brother's eyes were filled with tears and he was already saying his apologies. Ciel did not hear, he only noticed the drop of cum that trickled from the corner of Alois's mouth down to his chin.

Without saying a word Ciel backed up, turned and threw the door shut after him. He now heard his brother's voice loud and clear, begging and pleading. He shut it out, pushed his entire weight against the door of the staircase and just ran.

Ciel wandered the streets of Tokyo. He did not know where he was going, his mind battling between being a blank void and the memory of what he just witnessed. He had bought himself a six pack of beer at a small all night shop and drank it without tasting it. His mood swang between being outraged and utterly betrayed.

It had started raining a good thirty minutes ago and Ciel was soaked to the bone. One moment he screamed angrily at the pitch black sky and the other he fought to hold back his tears. He aggressively tossed his empty cans away and heard the hollow noise they made when they crashed and rolled around on the sidewalk or collided and bounced off the side of a building. His feelings torn him apart and he could only hold on tight to his anger not to fall to his grief.

By the time he started on his final beer he looked up to see where his feet had led him. He was standing outside Sebastian's building. His victory of denying everything earlier this night had been turned into a tipsy mess, and he did no longer care.

He put his full weight into the glass doors only to tumble into the lobby when they soundlessly slit open. He cursed at them and took another large sip of his lager. The night porter quickly came over to usher him out of the building.

"Get your fucking hands off me," Ciel struggled away and shrugged unsteady. "I am here to see Sebastian. Sebastian," he called out loud. "Sebastian I am back. You won, you fucking asshole."

"I must ask you to lower your voice Sir," the porter alerted him while he made soothing hand gestures. "Now who is it you need?"

"Sebastian-fucking-Michaelis," Ciel replied and he staggered to the desk. "Call him." Ciel reached over the counter and snatched up the phone. "I'm sure that bastard is more than happy to see me."

The porter rounded the desk, gently took the phone from Ciel's hands and dialed a number. He talked in a hushed tone, and as he respectfully explained the situation, his black eyes kept darting from the machine to Ciel and back. He finally hummed and hung up. "Mister Michaelis is coming down to collect you."

"See." Ciel slammed his fist down on the counter and barked a laugh. "That fucking fag has been waiting up, dying for me to come crawl back and suck his cock. Well you know what," he raised a faltering finger at the porter, "he might just get lucky tonight. I just walked in on my younger brother sucking the cock of our arch enemy. Oh now don't you give me that look, he truly is my nemesis. Because of that fucker I am now indebted to be Sebastian's fuck slave."

The soft ping announced that the elevator had arrived. Sebastian stepped into the lobby, made a quick observation of the situation and acted fast and accordingly.

"Good evening," he murmured, announcing himself to the slightly intoxicated Ciel.

"There you are." Ciel whirled around and almost keeled over. Sebastian easily steadied him on his feet and nodded at the porter, telling him he would take care of it. Ciel could no longer hold back the pending grief and started crying in a hard and agonizing manner. He sobbed uncontrollably, blurting out bits of words and sentences. Sebastian listened to him for a moment before he took him by the elbow and escorted him to the elevator.

Inside the tight cabin Ciel leaned heavy on Sebastian's shoulder, crying and pounding against Sebastian's chest. Sebastian stood there, still holding him by the elbow to keep Ciel from crashing to the floor.

He guided Ciel into his apartment, closing the door with his foot and setting him down on the couch. He returned after a few moments with a glass of water, sat down on the coffee table in front of Ciel and gently took the beer from his hands. "Here," he said in a kind voice and replaced the beer with the water.

Ciel gulped it down like it was the first drink he had had in years. Sebastian took the empty glass from his hands, placed it next to him and folded his hands together. "What happened?"

"Alois. He." Ciel still had trouble formulating coherent sentences. It was as if the words refused to leave his mouth, and the thought alone was more than enough to make him cringe.

"Alois did what?" Sebastian asked further. There was no pressure in his tone, only a faint hint of empathy. Ciel looked at him through his tears and wiped his runny nose at the sleeve of his wet coat. He was not sure if it had really been kindness he had heard in Sebastian's voice but it was more than enough for him to act on his tipsy nature. He leaned in and kissed Sebastian hard, forcing his tongue between the lips and seeking his with need.

Sebastian did not stop him, not that Ciel expected him to do so. He kissed him back, caressing Ciel's tongue in a naturally experted manner. It aroused Ciel immensely.

"Fuck me," he breathed against Sebastian's lips, then bit them teasingly and repeated his words. "Fuck me hard," he pleaded and began to paw at Sebastian's buttoned up dress shirt.

For some moments Sebastian let him. He patiently waited for Ciel to unbutton every single button of the white Dior shirt and Ciel push it along with his vest off his shoulders.

Ciel leaned forward and dragged his tongue over the toned chest. He rolled his eyes up, seeking Sebastian's eyes. They were fiery and intense, enjoying ever second of Ciel's teasing. Yet Sebastian was holding back, not touching Ciel with a finger.

"Touch me," Ciel pleaded and sank to his knees. He pressed his forehead against Sebastian's abs and rubbed his wet locks over the smooth skin. "Please touch me."

Sebastian slowly got to his feet, took Ciel by his elbows and helped him up as well. He pushed the heavy wet coat off Ciel's shoulders, he heard it drop down on the couch behind him. Sebastian leaned in and pressed kiss from the corner of Ciel's mouth to his ear. "We need to get you out of these wet clothes," he whispered. It gave Ciel such a thrill that he purred in a low agreement.

Sebastian took him by the wrist and led him up the stairs, but instead of tossing him down on the enormous bed, he directed Ciel to the adjacent bathroom. Sebastian slowly undressed Ciel, pressing soft kisses on Ciel's bare shoulders and biting teasingly at the sensitive skin of his neck. He turned on the shower and told Ciel to get in. Ciel followed his order without question. He turned around, awaiting to see Sebastian get undressed for him. Instead, he stepped into the shower with the clothes he still had left on and turned the temperature of the water up. "We need to get your warm," he concluded.

"Then throw me on the bed and fuck me hard. Fill me with your warm cum," Ciel purred and rubbed his nose against Sebastian's neck. "You smell so good," he murmured, "cigarettes smoke and tangerine. It's so intoxicating."

"You are intoxicated," Sebastian said, concluding the obvious, "turn around so that I can wash your hair."

"If this is some weird fetish foreplay of yours, I'm intrigued," Ciel winked and turned on his feet. He moaned when Sebastian wrapped an arm around his waist to keep him standing while he washed his hair. Ciel curled his own arm around Ciel's neck and closed his eyes, thoroughly enjoying every gentle touch.

"You're sweet," Ciel whispered.

"I'm not," Sebastian replied gently, "I am a man of my word. Close your eyes."

Ciel felt the warm water trickle down his head. Dots of shampoo streamed down his face and it smelled of Sebastian. "What does that mean?"

"That means that I don't take advantage of drunk people," Sebastian replied patiently.

"Does it? That is very sweet of you though."

"Don't start blowing smoke up my ass too soon. This weird fetish foreplay will help you get sober enough for me to take you up on your very kind and seductive offer without me breaking my word."

Ciel barked a laugh and hummed an unknown tune right after. "I will forgive you for that last part, because you're being this sweet." he cocked his head and tried to look Sebastian in the eye. "It suits you," he added without ulterior meaning to his words.

"If you say so," Sebastian replied and then ordered Ciel to turn around so that he could soap him up.

* * *

After the shower and two large mugs of tea, Ciel was starting to feel a little like his old self again. Sebastian had lend him a pair of gray sweats and a warm dark sweater and had even wrapped him up in a blanket. They were sitting in silence, Ciel carefully sipping his third mug of tea and Sebastian smoking a cigarette and sipping his cognac. Ciel was quietly enjoying the calm silence, more than thankful Sebastian hadn't started firing questions at him just yet. When he did speak up, it was in an almost soothing tone of voice.

"Are you ready to talk about what happened?"

Ciel slowly shook his head and turned his eyes to the white carpet. "I am not sure if I will ever be ready to talk about it," he admitted with a wrinkle of the nose. "There are no words I could muster that would quite explain what I saw tonight and how it makes me feel."

Sebastian nodded. "Alright. Take your time. How is your tea?"

"Without alcohol," Ciel breathed, and smiled sheepish at Sebastian's elevated eyebrow. "Would you mind if I had a glass of whatever you are drinking? That may rally my intellect."

"Of course," Sebastian stood, walked to the cabinet and poured Ciel a small portion of cognac. "It's the second best way to get you warm again," he said as he sauntered back, and winked cheeky as he handed Ciel the large bell.

Ciel huffed out a laugh as reply and sipped the alcohol. He could not get used to the taste of it, but it tinkled pleasantly on the back of his tongue and spread a warm feeling through his chest. His eyes peered at Sebastian over the rim of the glass, following all his moves. Sebastian had picked up a remote control and turned down the music that was coming from invisible boxes. It was only now that Ciel picked up the on the deep female voice that seemed to wrap the room in a warm blanket.

"Turn it back up please," he whispered.

Sebastian nodded with a word and the voice filled the room again, it's melancholic emotion bringing back all kinds of memories, some sweet and others bitter. Ciel swallowed audibly at the end of it and took a sip of liquid comfort.

"Who is this?" He asked in a voice that seemed distant, not his own.

"Joni Mitchell," Sebastian replied, and placed a cigarette between his lips and lit it. "Do you like it?"

"I do," Ciel confirmed, and subtly tried to wipe at his eyes with the blanket. He then looked up at Sebastian and felt his lips quirk up in a meaningless grin. "It's so unlike you. Fragile and full of emotion."

Sebastian huffed out some tobacco and sat back in his chair. "If only you would allow yourself and took the time to get to know me better, you might think differently."

"Meaning that you're fragile and full of emotion?" Ciel retorted with raised eyebrows.

"Not in the slightest," Sebastian took a sip of cognac. "I'm only implying that there might be more to me than what you'd like to believe."

"Well." Ciel squinted at Sebastian. "After hearing this, I can conclude you're a rotten bastard with a good taste in music and liquor."

Sebastian grinned a lopsided smirk and loosely placed the cigarette between his lips and got up to refresh his drink. "Taste in music can tell you a lot about someone," he said, and walked to the windows to overlook the city. After a few moments of silence he turned back around to Ciel. "What kind of music do you enjoy?"

Ciel shrugged. "I don't like a typical genre. I can listen to anything."

Sebastian gave him a short nod. "Figures. I could've predicted that answer."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Ciel snapped.

"You're clueless. Indecisive. Hesitant about everyday decisions. You question yourself and your surroundings, making you such an easy person to target. Your insecurities are what make you so vulnerable to every tiny adversity."

"I'm not," Ciel argued. "And stop pretending you have me grounded. You don't know anything about me."

"I know that whatever happened to you tonight could not have meant the ending of this world as we know it, yet you are incapable of handling it accordingly. So you shut down, get drunk and show up at my doorstep. You go to the person you claim to hate so vividly. It is such a classic cliche, but you seem to be oblivious to it. That intrigues me. Your pureness is so intact, even if you're now surrounded by the lowest scum of Tokyo. It's like you're constantly swimming in a shark tank with a bloody nose but are not at all aware of the danger you're in. It's captivating."

"You have no idea what happened tonight," Ciel shot back. "You wouldn't pretend to know me in such a patronizing way if you knew."

Sebastian arched his eyebrow. "No I do not, but with you it could be anything. It could vary between someone giving you a nasty glare on the train to witnessing a puppy being run over by a taxi."

"Alois was blowing Claude when I came home, alright?! My younger brother, for whom I gave up my freedom, was blowing the cock of the man who got me in this horrible debt. There, are you happy?!"

Ciel's frame shook with anger. His eyes glared hard at Sebastian. He wanted to slap him, or punch him in the gut, and Sebastian just stood there, looking at him with those intense fiery eyes. Ciel curled his fingers into the blanket and squeezed tight.

"He betrayed me," he breathed. "Alois. My own brother. He betrayed me."

As he said those words out loud, and they started to sink in, he once more realized the situation that he was in. Only now, it wasn't noble anymore, it was a downright stupid mistake. He dropped his chin to his chest and tried to visualize the look in Alois's eyes that time he had walked in on him and Claude at the club. Were those tears of fear or shame? He did not know anymore.

Ciel's body jerked when Sebastian's fingers cupped his chin and tilted his head back. He smiled, and there was a shimmer of empathy in his crimson eyes. Sebastian wiped at Ciel's cheek with his thumb, brushing away a tear.

"I am sorry," Sebastian said without any sarcasm in his tone.

Ciel chuckled and wiped at his nose. "Aren't you supposed to make some more snide comments about how dense I have been? How I should have seen this coming? How I should've let Alois take care of his own business."

Sebastian shook his head. "No. Believe it or not, but I know the feeling. I used to be a lot like you."

"Now that just cannot be true," Ciel exclaimed.

"I was." Sebastian confirmed. "I had faith in my family as well until they blindsided me."

"What happened?"

"That's not important," Sebastian got back to his feet and took the empty glass from Ciel's hands, "care for another one?"

Ciel nodded slowly and while Sebastian fixed their drinks, he took in the moment. Sebastian's insight. His own confessions, Sebastian's confession. He tried to remember his parents. His previous life, and how he had led it. He now realized how wrong it had been of him to deny the other life his father had and that he declined the offer to get to know it. Because of his childhood mistake, he did not know life at all and was tossed into the deep without being prepared. Without important rules and details of his legacy. How could he have been that naive to believe that his father's past would not come back?

Sebastian handed Ciel his drink and then sat down across from him again. Ciel looked at him, and it felt like he was looking at him in another light. As if he had never laid eyes on him before. For a long time he had trusted his family, and now he had been blindsided by them. In the shady world his father had been part off, Sebastian might just be one of the fairly decent guys. A man who is loyal to himself and to his words. It was a strange and somewhat comforting epiphany.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Ciel smiled sheepish at Sebastian's words and mumbled an apology. "Could you play me that other song once more? It was mesmerizing."

Sebastian did as was asked of him without talking back. They sat in silence, each enjoying their moment in another light. Ciel's mind wandered to parts of his memory he normally was reluctant to visit, and Sebastian just watch him, sipping his drink and taking in the changing emotions in Ciel's eyes.

"You know," Ciel began, "my parents. I can hardly recall their faces. I try, at times, but it is always blurry. The memory is there, but they're not really there with me. They're a blur, their voices are just above a whisper."

"The mind is a strange thing indeed. You can relive a moment so vividly but only truly remember details that seemed mediocre back then. You know you were there in that moment, with those people, but the things that hardly mattered at that time are now seemed locked into your memory."

Ciel breathed a laugh and subtly tried to wipe at his cheek. He knew Sebastian saw it, but he was decent enough not to mock him for it. He did not even pay it any attention.

"It is a peculiar thing indeed," Ciel agreed and took a sip of his drink and decided to change the subject before he took a long and embarrassing stroll down memory lane. "You know, I never quite overheard what you told me about that friend of yours."

Sebastian chortled. "A very smooth change of subject, Phantomhive. Uncanny," he grinned. "Very well. I contacted my friend and he could tell me that Latin phrases are used by one particular bank in Rome."

"Rome?" Ciel repeated surprised. "What's in Rome?"

"I cannot tell you. All I know is that there's a bank that uses Latin phrases "

"That means I'd have to go to Rome?" He looked Sebastian straight in the eye.

"Looks like it." Sebastian confirmed.

Ciel pinched his lip between his teeth and dropped his chin to his chest when he made the shameful confession that he did not have enough money to fly out to Europe.

Sebastian aligned his fingertips and placed them against his lips. "I am flying to Rome in about two weeks for business, but surely you would not be interested to be strapped in next to me in a sealed off metal casket miles above the ground for nearly twelve hours."

Ciel arched an eyebrow. "Oh really. So you just happen to be flying out to Rome by chance? How very convenient."

"I knew you would react like that." Sebastian opened a new package of Lucky Strikes and placed one between his lips. "The offer stands if you-"

"I'm coming with you," Ciel said bluntly.

The click of the Zippo lighter and the melancholic voice of Joni Mitchell were the only sounds that filled the room for what seemed minutes. Ciel looked Sebastian in the eye, awaiting one of his perverted snide remarks. Reality was a bit different though.

"Are you comfortable to leave that younger brother of yours behind knowing what you know now?"

"He seems to be taking pretty good care of his own. He does not need me to blow Claude's cock," Ciel replied snide.

Sebastian inhaled and slowly blew out the smoke in tiny clouds. " Alright," he leaned forward, took his drink off the table and raised it in the air. "To Rome."

Ciel grinned despite himself, raised his own glass and repeated the words. "Here's to Rome."


End file.
